Defending champion Maria Sharapova was sent packing from the French Open at the fourth-round stage yesterday, losing in straight sets to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic.
Safarova, the 13th seed, won 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 to progress to her first ever quarter-final at Roland Garros, where she will face Garbine Muguruza after the Spaniard saw off Flavia Pennetta.
Sharapova, who also won the clay-court Grand Slam event in 2012 and was the beaten finalist in 2013, had been forced to wait until yesterday morning for her clash with Safarova, which had been postponed on Sunday due to the rain in the French capital.
Photo: EPA
However, on a bright Paris morning the Russian second seed, who was looking to become the first woman to successfully defend the French Open title since Justine Henin in 2007, was punished for an erratic display from beginning to end.
Sharapova was broken in her second service game, and although she soon broke back, Safarova claimed the opening set in the tiebreak on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Breaks were again exchanged in the second set but Sharapova found herself serving to stay in the match at 5-4 down, and while she saved one match point she could not save the second that came her opponent’s way.
“I had a few small openings, but I wasn’t able to keep up my level. She was more consistent and aggressive, created the angles and that was the difference,” said Sharapova, who had been battling a heavy cold all week. “It was a tough day at the office.”
The Czech had not won any of her last four meetings with Sharapova since triumphing in their first ever clash in Madrid in 2010 and is to face Muguruza today after the Spanish 21st seed breezed past Pennetta.
Muguruza won 6-3, 6-4 on Court Suzanne Lenglen to reach the last eight at Roland Garros for the second year in succession. Twelve months ago, Muguruza was knocked out in three sets by Sharapova, having defeated Serena Williams in the second round.
The exit of the reigning champion leaves just two of the top six seeds left going into the quarter-finals.
No. 1 seed Williams, who is looking for a 20th Grand Slam crown at the event she won in 2002 and 2013, was due in action later yesterday against compatriot Sloane Stephens.
Czech fourth seed Petra Kvitova, last year’s Wimbledon champion, was due to meet Swiss 23rd seed Timea Bacsinszky with the winner going on to meet either Andreea Mitu of Romania or Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck.
The remaining fourth-round tie sees Italy’s 17th seed Sara Errani face Julia Goerges of Germany.
Second seed Roger Federer reached the French Open quarter-finals for the 11th time yesterday with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over France’s Gael Monfils.
Federer, the 2009 champion, is to face Swiss Davis Cup winning teammate Stan Wawrinka for a place in the semi-finals.
He raced through the final two sets yesterday in just over an hour after the last-16 tie was delicately poised at a set apiece when it was suspended in the chilly gloom of Sunday evening.
“I feel fresh and pumped up to be back in the quarter-finals again after missing out last year,” said Federer, who was beaten by Ernests Gulbis in the last 16 last year.
Monfils, a semi-finalist in 2008, was nowhere near his swashbuckling best yesterday, slipping to a break down in the first game of both sets.
At 2-1 down in the fourth, he needed the trainer to be called, although the Frenchman’s problems appeared more related to the cold he was suffering from rather than any physical problem.
He lost the last five games of the contest and, although he saved a match point with a trademark cute drop volley, an equally characteristic wild forehand sealed his fate.
It was 33-year-old Federer’s ninth win in 13 meetings against Monfils, who had triumphed over the Swiss star on clay in Monte Carlo last month and in November last year’s Davis Cup final.
Federer is to take a 16-2 career advantage over Wawrinka into today’s quarter-final, including on clay in Rome early last month.
“It’s special to play Stan, there aren’t many Swiss players in the draw,” Federer said. “I’m quite positive about it.”
Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer recorded his 40th career win at Roland Garros with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic to also reach the quarter-finals.
Ferrer, the runner-up in 2013, is to take on either third-seeded Andy Murray or unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy for a place in the semi-finals.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, bidding for a first French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, faces French 20th seed Richard Gasquet.
The top seed has a 10-1 record over Gasquet, whose only win over the Serb came eight years ago.
Djokovic is to look to extend his run of successive Grand Slam quarter-finals to 24, while a win for Gasquet would make him just the third Frenchman to record 400 Tour-level match wins.
He is also looking for a place in the quarter-finals at the French Open for the first time in his 12th attempt.
Murray, the No. 3 seed and twice a semi-finalist, was defending a 6-1 career record over Chardy, including a successful meeting on clay in Rome on the eve of Roland Garros.
Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal can clinch his 70th win at the French Open and reach a 10th quarter-final when he meets Jack Sock of the US for the first time.
Victory for 22-year-old Sock would make him the first US male player to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals since Andre Agassi in 2003.
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