[1]Top-ranked Serena Williams was eliminated in the French Open quarterfinals on Wednesday, squandering a match point and losing to Australian spoiler Samantha Stosur, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 8-6.
The upset was the second in a row for the No. 7 seed Stosur, and the third in as many days at Roland Garros. Stosur will now take on Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic in the semfinal after the latter beat Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 7-5, 6-4 in a mistake-plagued quarterfinal clash.
In an evening match, men's second seed Rafael Nadal of Spain beat compatriot Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-4 to enter the semifinals. The four-time champion will play the winner of Austrian Juergen Melzer’s quarterfinal against third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
Earlier on Tuesday, Tomas Berdych earned his first Grand Slam semifinal place defeating Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny. Berdych outclassed the Russian in straight sets by 6-3, 6-1, 6-2. The 24-year-old will face Swede Robin Soderling in his semifinal clash.
Williams made her exit, with stretches of brilliant tennis by Stosur hastening the departure. The Australian, long regarded as a doubles specialist, used her forceful forehand to build a lead, winning 17 consecutive points during one stretch.
Williams mounted one of her patented comebacks, and as the tension built in an error-filled third set, she needed only one point in the 10th game for the victory. Her forehand sailed an inch long.
Stosur then regained her early form. She hit consecutive cross-court winners to break for a 7-6 lead, then served out the victory, hitting service winners on the final three points. It was Williams’ first Grand Slam loss since her meltdown in the semifinals of the US Open last September against Kim Clijsters.
This time she directed any anger only at herself. In rallies she often seemed hesitant, indecisive and on the defensive, pinned deep by Stosur’s big forehand and slice backhands. Williams hit one backhand that barely reached the bottom of the net, took an awkward swing at an overhead and flubbed a forehand putaway in the forecourt.
The 22-year-old Shvedova, the world 36, had stunned Jankovic in the second round of the US Open last year and even in her two defeats to the Serbian, she had gone down fighting, stretching her opponent to three sets.
She was quickly ahead on Wednesday with a break in the opening game on Court Suzanne Lenglen which, for the first time in a week, was bathed in bright sunshine as bright as Jankovic’s yellow dress.
However, the fourth seed settled into a steady rhythm and broke back for 3-3 before wrapping up the first set after 41 minutes in the 12th game.
The lanky Shvedova, standing at a slender 1.80m and who had never previously got beyond the third round of a Grand Slam, then exchanged breaks with Jankovic in the opening four games of the second set as errors piled up on both sides.
After a lengthy fifth game, the 25-year-old Serbian held serve to nip ahead 3-2, but the Kazakh refused to yield and took the next two games with her third break of the set secured by a deep, pinpoint forehand.
Again Shvedova was unable to capitalise and handed back the break in the eighth game when she missed a simple overhead, performing an embarrassing air shot instead.
It was typical of the 91-minute affair that Jankovic clinched victory when her Russian-born opponent served up a fourth double fault.
“It was a different kind of match and tough so I’m happy to reach the semifinals again,” said Jankovic.
— Agencies
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