PARIS: Defending champion Maria Sharapova was sent packing from the French Open at the fourth-round stage on Monday, but top seed Serena Williams survived a scare to seal her quarter-final place.

Sharapova, seeded two, was beaten in straight sets 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 by Lucie Safarova, the 13th seed from the Czech Republic who will now meet Garbine Muguruza of Spain in the last eight.

Williams, meanwhile, lost the first set against compatriot Sloane Stephens on the same Court Philippe Chatrier but came back to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and set up a quarter-final clash with Sara Errani of Italy.

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 Monday morning for her clash with Safarova, which had been postponed on Sunday due to rain in the French capital.

But 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.

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.

ITALY’S Flavia Pennetta serves to Garbine Muguruza of Spain.—AFP

“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. “It was a tough day at the office.”

SLUGGISH START

In contrast, Williams kept alive her hopes of winning a third French Open title and a 20th Grand Slam crown, but only after another sluggish opening to her match.

Just as against Anna-Lena Friedsam and Victoria Azarenka in the previous two rounds, Williams lost the opening set, Stephens breaking three times to take it 6-1.

Serena found herself serving to stay in the match at 4-5 in the second set but won the game and went on to take the set 7-5 before claiming the decider 6-3 to secure her passage after exactly two hours on court.

Errani, the Italian 17th seed who was the beaten finalist at Roland Garros in 2012, lies in wait for Serena after she beat unseeded German Julia Goerges 6-2, 6-2.

Spanish 21st seed Garbine Muguruza, meanwhile, won thro­u­gh to the quarter-finals for the second year running by beating Italy’s 28th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-4 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Twelve months ago Muguruza was knocked out in three sets by Shar­a­pova having defeated Ser­e­na Williams in the second round.

Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck is through to a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time after beating fellow unseeded player, Romanian Andreea Mitu, 6-1, 6-3.

Van Uytvanck will now meet either fourth seeded Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic or Switzerland’s 23rd seed Timea Bacsinszky, who were due to meet later on Monday.

On the men’s side, the blockbuster quarter-final — Rafael Nadal v Novak Djokovic — is on after both won their fourth-round matches on Monday.

Defending champion Nadal, the Spanish sixth seed, dispatched Jack Sock of the US 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 and the top-seeded Djokovic of Serbia beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.

Earlier, Roger Federer needed about an hour to finish his 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over local hope Gael Monfils in a match suspended because of darkness after the second set Sunday. The second seed next faces Swiss Davis Cup team-mate Stan Wawrinka.

British third seed Andy Murray ended the hopes of another home player, seeing off unseeded Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and will face 2013 French Open runner-up David Ferrer, the Span­ish seventh seed ending US Op­en champion Marin Cilic’s run with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 romp.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2015

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