Sharapova, Mauresmo into third round

WIMBLEDON, England, June 28 (UPI) -- Maria Sharapova and Amelie Mauresmo each lost only three games in claiming second-round victories Thursday at Wimbledon.

Sharapova, seeded second, made short work of Severine Bremond with a 6-0, 6-3 win while Mauresmo, the event's defending champion and who is seeded fourth this year, swept out Yvonne Meusburger 6-1, 6-2.

Also posting a win was 23rd-seeded Venus Williams, who posted a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Hana Sromova. Williams next draws Akiko Morigami, who upset No. 13 Dinara Safina 6-4, 7-5 in her second-round match.

Fifth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Bethanie Mattek 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 and No. 6 Ana Ivanovic was a straight-set winner over Meilen Tu 6-4, 6-3. Eighth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze dropped just three games in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Tatiana Poutchek and No. 10 Daniela Hantuchova was pushed in a 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) win over Elena Likhovtseva.

No. 11 Nadia Petrova, 12th-seeded Elena Dementieva, No. 14 Nicola Vaidisova and 15th-seeded Patty Schnyder also won second-round matches Thursday with only Schnyder pushed to a third set.