On a day when Russian seeds Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova strolled into the fourth round by losing a combined total of 10 games, Lucie Safarova turned into public enemy number one when she shoved Mauresmo towards the exit with a 6-3, 7-6 victory. The 20-year-old Czech sealed Mauresmo's demise for the second Grand Slam running after one hour and 54 minutes of riveting action.
As Safarova greeted her moment of triumph by punching the air in delight and blowing kisses to all corners of the court, a forlorn Mauresmo was left to dwell on her 13th flop in Paris.
“It was very close and it could have gone either way. It's very disappointing as I was 3-0 up in each set and just couldn't do it,” said the Wimbledon champion, whose French Open highlights remain two quarter-final showings in 2003 and 2004.
World number two Sharapova had provided the warm-up act for the Mauresmo-Safarova showdown on the Philippe Chatrier court and made sure she did not outstay her welcome.
She recovered from a 4-1 blip in the second set to run through a 6-1, 6-4 win over Russian qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva.
Third seed Kuznetsova, who was foiled by Justine Henin in the final 12 months ago, continued to slice through the draw by overwhelming Slovakian teenager Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-3.
They were joined by ninth seed Anna Chakvetadze, who ended the Asian challenge in the singles draw by outlasting Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-4, 6-4 under a blazing sky.
“It was great, it was amazing. I felt nervous in the start because Amelie was at home but I never gave up,” said the 29th ranked Czech.
Mauresmo had stepped on to the most famous claycourt stage declaring: “I want revenge...I just want to make amends.”
Still haunted by the memories of her fourth-round downfall at the Australian Open, when Safarova had ended her reign as champion despite being ranked 70th in the world, Mauresmo kept her word for a 20 spellbinding minutes.
She barely gave her left-handed opponent a chance to soak up the atmosphere and had stormed into a 3-0 lead.
But things never come easy for Mauresmo in Paris and once again her challenge crumbled.
Trailing 4-3 in the first set, she took an injury time out to have her right groin strapped but the break did little to change her fortunes.
In all she lost six games in a row to hand the initiative to Safarova.
The second set proved to be a video replay of the first, Mauresmo surging to a 3-0 lead and Safarova winning the next four games to nose 4-3 ahead.
As matchpoint flashed up on the scoreboard with Safarova leading 6-3 in the tiebreak, an anxious Mauresmo ended her own ordeal with a forehand into the net.
Former men’s singles champion Carlos Moya set up a clash of the 'golden oldies' when he cruised into the fourth round by defeating Argentine qualifier Juan Pablo Brzezicki 6-1, 6-3, 7-5.
The 30-year-old Spaniard will play 35-year-old Jonas Bjorkman, the oldest player in the men's draw, for a place in the quarter-finals after Bjorkman had earlier beaten Spain's Oscar Hernandez in four sets.
Bjorkman had battled back from two sets down in the first two rounds and came from behind again after losing a first-set tiebreak to Hernandez.
Nearly 10 years after winning his sole grand slam title at Roland Garros, Moya, seeded 23, showed he is still a force on clay with a textbook display to end the hopes of Brzezicki.
Moya, who has more claycourt titles than any active player apart from good friend Rafael Nadal, sealed victory after one hour 50 minutes when Brzezicki miss-hit a forehand over the baseline.
Marcos Baghdatis was given an easy ride into the fourth round of the when Czech Jan Hajek was forced to quit with a shoulder injury.
The Cypriot 16th seed, beaten by Roger Federer in the 2006 Australian Open final, was leading 6-2, 6-2 when Hajek conceded the match suffering with tendonitis in his right shoulder.
“He couldn't serve,” Baghdatis told reporters. “It was not pleasant. There was a kind of false rhythm in the match.
Afterwards I wanted to play again in order to get my bearings.”
Sixteenth seed Baghdatis, who recently returned to Cyprus after living in Paris from the age of 13, is having his best run at the French Open and believes he can go further.
“I'm the outsider, this is not my favourite surface,” he said, looking ahead to his next match against Russian Igor Andreev. “But I feel great. I feel good on the surface.
“I'm not afraid. I don't buckle under pressure and I can fight and I can find the solution to try and outplay him.”
Baghdatis is yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Stars and Stripes still fluttered at Roland Garros on Friday but only one American was left standing in the French Open singles after Serb Jelena Jankovic sent Venus Williams packing.
Jankovic, the form player on the women's tour, probably cringed when she saw Venus on her horizon as early as the third round, although a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory fully justified her status as fourth seed.
At least eighth seed Serena Williams restored family honour and national pride when ousting Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek 6-3, 6-4 in gathering gloom.
Henin, defending champion and the Belgian world number one, looking for her fourth title in five years here, beat Italian Mara Santangelo 6-2, 6-3.
Saturday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Men’s singles:
Third round: 23-Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Juan Pablo Brzezicki (Argentina) 6-1, 6-3, 7-5; Igor Andreev (Russia) beat Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0, 6-3; Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) beat Oscar Hernandez (Spain) 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-0, 6-1; 16-Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) beat Jan Hajek (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-2 – Hajek retired.
Women’s singles:
Third round: 24-Anabel Medina-Garriques (Spain) beat 12-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5; 15-Shahar Peer (Israel) beat 17-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3; 25-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) beat 5-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); 9-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat 21-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 6-4, 6-4; 14-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Karin Knapp (Italy) 6-1, 4-6, 7-5; 3-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 6-2, 6-3; 2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) 6-1, 6-4; 7-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Raluca Olaru (Romania) 6-2, 6-0.
Friday’s remaining results:
Women’s singles:
Third round: 10-Dinara Safina (Russia) beat 23-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; 1-Justine Henin (Belgium) beat 28-Mara Santangelo (Italy) 6-2, 6-3; 8-Serena Williams (US) beat Michaella Krajicek (Netherlands) 6-3, 6-4.—Reuters