Niculescu was serving for the second set, but the sixth-seeded Schiavone quickly held three break points and leveled the set at 5-5, part of a sequence of five service breaks in six games. In the tiebreaker, Schiavone jumped out to 3-0 lead and won the match with a forehand to the open court.
Schiavone will play last year's finalist Justine Henin or former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round.