French Open Day 9: Defending champ Sharapova out

No. 2 seed and defending champion Maria Sharapova,
suffering from a cold, lost to No. 13 Lucie Safarova
in the fourth round. 2014 photo by Paul Bauman 

   Upset of the day -- Maria Sharapova's streak of three French Open finals ended as the No. 2 seed and defending champion fell to No. 13 Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the fourth round.
   Sharapova, who also won the title in 2012, coughed because of a cold throughout the tournament. Safarova, a 28-year-old left-hander, reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year. 
   Match of the day -- For the third match in a row, top-seeded Serena Williams won after dropping the first set. The 33-year-old star came within one game of losing in her 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over fellow American Sloane Stephens. After trailing 6-1, 5-4, Williams won nine of the last 12 games.
   Notable -- No. 23 seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland ousted No. 4 Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion from the Czech Republic, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3.
   Besides two-time French Open champ Williams, the only top-10 seed left in the women's draw is No. 7 Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open winner and a former world No. 1. Williams and Ivanovic could meet in the final.
   No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic will face No. 6 Rafael Nadal on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. It will be a rematch of last year's final, won by Nadal in four sets. 
    Fourth-round men's results -- Djokovic def. No. 20 Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-2, 6-3; No. 2 Roger Federer def. No. 13 Gael Monfils 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1; No. 3 Andy Murray def. Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Nadal def. Jack Sock 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2; No. 7 David Ferrer def. No. 9 Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
   Other fourth-round women's results -- No. 17 Sara Errani def. Julia Goerges 6-2, 6-2; No. 21 Garbine Muguruza def. No. 28 Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-4; Alison Van Uytvanck def. Andreea Mitu 6-1, 6-3.   
   Men's quarterfinal matchups -- No. 1 Djokovic vs. No. 6 Nadal, No. 3 Murray vs. No. 7 Ferrer, No. 5 Kei Nishikori vs. No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 2 Federer vs. No. 8 Stan Wawrinka.
   Women's quarterfinal matchups -- No. 1 Williams vs. No. 17 Errani, No. 23 Bacsinszky vs. Van Uytvanck, No. 7 Ivanovic vs. No. 19 Elina Svitolina, No. 13 Safarova vs. No. 21 Muguruza.
   Stars and stripes -- Williams is the only American left in singles, men's or women's.
   In the first round of junior girls singles, No. 4 CiCi Bellis triumphed, but No. 11 Sofia Kenin lost. On the boys side, No. 6 Michael Mmoh and No. 13 Tommy Paul advanced, but No. 9 William Blumberg fell.
   Northern California connection -- Bellis, 16, lives in Atherton.
   The fourth-seeded team of Michaela Gordon, 15, of Saratoga and Charlotte Robillard-Millette of Canada won in the opening round of junior girls doubles.
   Fast fact -- Williams is 10-0 in three-set matches this year.
   Quote -- Sharapova on her illness: "I don't like to talk about it, and I don't think it really makes a difference."
   Today on Court Philippe Chatrier (starting at 5 a.m. PDT, Tennis Channel 5-10 a.m., ESPN2 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) -- No. 7 Ivanovic vs. No. 19 Svitolina, No. 5 Nishikori vs. No. 14 Tsonga.
   Today on Court Suzanne Lenglen (starting at 5 a.m. PDT, Tennis Channel 5-10 a.m., ESPN2 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) -- No. 13 Safarova vs. No. 21 Muguruza, No. 2 Federer vs. No. 8 Wawrinka.