Mon Jun 2 12:30:05 2008

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Safina ousts Sharapova to reach French quarters

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Paris, France (Sports Network) - Dinara Safina saved a match point before coming from behind to stun world No. 1 Maria Sharapova in Monday's fourth- round action at the 2008 French Open.

The 13th-seeded Safina upended the top-seeded Sharapova in 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 fashion on Court Lenglen at Stade Roland Garros. The red-hot Safina is currently riding a 10-match winning streak, which also includes victories over former world No. 1s Justine Henin and Serena Williams.

Sharapova was up a set and leading 5-3 in the second when Safina staved off the match point before extending Sharapova into a second-set tiebreak.

After taking the second-set tiebreak, the surprising Safina basically cruised in the third and final set, converting on her second match point when Sharapova swatted one final forehand wide.

Sharapova's best-ever result here was a semifinal one last year.

The 21-year-old Sharapova is a three-time major champion who needs the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam. She captured the Australian Open back in January.

Safina, who's been a top-20 player since 2005, also upset Sharapova in three sets in the fourth round here two years ago and is now 3-3 lifetime against her fellow Russian.

The 22-year-old Safina, the younger sister of former men's world No. 1 Marat Safin, was a big clay-court winner in Berlin last month. She'll now play in her second Roland Garros quarterfinal in three years and her third career major quarter.

Safina's quarterfinal opponent will be another fellow Russian, seventh-seeded Elena Dementieva, a former French Open runner-up.

Dementieva held off 11th-seeded fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 on Day 9 of this clay-court fortnight.

The 26-year-old Dementieva appeared in two Grand Slam finals in 2004, including one here in Paris where she lost to Anastasia Myskina in an all- Russian affair. That year also marked her only other trip into the French Open quarters.

Dementieva was also the runner-up at the U.S. Open in '04.