Maria Sharapova saved three match points in a battling performance to defeat Switzerland's Patty Schnyder 3-6, 6-4, 9-7 and reach the last eight of the French Open.
It was a courageous effort from the 20-year-old Russian who is still feeling the effects of a shoulder injury that required a cortisone injection and left her on the sidelines for two months.
Three times the vastly experienced Schnyder, playing in her 44th grand slam tournament, served for the match and three times Sharapova went on the offensive to thwart her opponent.
Finally she managed to hold her own serve and for the fourth time in a row she captured Schnyder's service, leaping for joy when the Swiss hit wide on match point.
The fourth round tie had lasted two-and-a-half hours.
"It was very exciting and even if I had lost the match I would have done an amazing job of fighting and getting myself back into the match," said Sharapova.
"I figured I wasn't going to beat her by being a clay court player because I am just not a clay court player so I just started coming in and going for my shots.
"I figured if I was going to lose this match I would lose it on my own terms."
The late evening match was marred by a series of incidents that resulted in Sharapova being roundly jeered by Schnyder's fans in the Suzanne Lenglen Court crowd, but the Russian said this had not bothered her.
"It's pretty hard being a tennis player and Mother Theresa at the same time and that's just the way it is," she said.
Sharapova will play fellow Russian Anna Chakvatedze in the quarter-finals with a first ever semi-final appearance at Roland Garros her potential reward.
In other results in the women's draw, Justine Henin and Serena Williams lined up a grudge re-match when they hurtled into the last eight.
Four years after Williams was booed off court following an acrimonious semi-final, the duo will face each other across the net at Roland Garros for the first time since that day.
Australian Open champion Williams darted past Dinara Safina 6-2, 6-3, while Henin ousted Austrian Sybille Bammer 6-2, 6-4.
Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic highlighted the changing boundaries in the world tennis map. They were the only Serbs to enter the field and remain on course for a final date.
Before she can look that far ahead, Ivanovic will have to overcome 2006 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The Russian foiled Shahar Peer's bid to become the first Israeli woman to reach the Paris quarter-finals with a brisk 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Fourth seed Jankovic ended French interest with a brutal 6-1, 6-1 thrashing of Marion Bartoli and will take on Nicole Vaidisova. SOURCE: © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
