Dementieva safely into fourth round

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Olympic champion Elena Dementieva secured her place in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Friday with a comfortable if unspectacular 6-3 6-4 victory against unseeded Briton Anne Keothavong.

The match started with three breaks of serve before the Russian kicked up a gear and started hammering in strong first serves to dominate the set.

Keothavong, 24, the first British woman to reach the third round of the U.S. Open since 1991, put up a respectable defence, using her powerful forehand to good effect, but she made too many unforced errors.

"I think she played really well, especially in the beginning of the match," Dementieva told reporters. "She really went there, and she's not afraid in hitting the ball pretty hard."

"It was our first meeting so it took me couple games, you know, just to know her and to find a way to play."

The fifth seeded Dementieva, U.S. Open runner-up in 2004, netted several shots that should have been easy put away but booked a last-16 date with China's Li Na after enjoying a good service day.

"She's in good shape right now, so it's going to be a tough match for me," Dementieva said of her next opponent.