Williams survives, while Sharapova crashes out of French Open

For the third match running, the top seed Serena Williams came from a set down to advance to the next round.

Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates after defeating her compatriot Sloane Stephens during their women's singles match during the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, June 1, 2015 REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

It was edgy against the unseeded German Anna Lena-Friedsam in the second round, nervy in the third round against Viktoria Azarenka and unconvincing in the fourth against her unseeded compatriot Sloane Stephens.

But Serena Williams survived, winning the two hour contest 1-6 7-5 6-3. Experience, she claimed, was the difference between the two players. At 22, Stephens isn’t in the same league as 33-year-old Williams who has amassed 19 grand slams singles titles, not to mention 13 crowns in the grand slam doubles with her sister Venus.

“There's a reason why Serena’s the number one player in the world,” Stephens reflected. “I played a good first set. I hung in there tough but obviously things change. Even though I lost, I'm really pleased with the way I got out there and competed.”

While Stephens almost pulled off a shock, Lucie Safarova did. The13th seed beat the defending champion Maria Sharapova 7-6 6-4.

The Russian second seed has been plagued by a cold since the start of the tournament on 25 May. But she refused to blame illness for her demise. “I don't think it really makes a difference,” said the 28-year-old. “I'm still a competitor no matter what. You know, I'm going to do everything in order to go out and give it my best and I think I did the best I could. But it wasn't enough because my opponent had a different gear than I did. But I was still there and I still competed.”

By contrast Safarova is enjoying a late blossoming. The 28-year-old has been on the circuit since 2002 and it is her first time in the quarter-finals in eleven visits to the French Open.

For her pains she will play 21-.year-old Garbine Muguruza, one of the rising talents on the women’s tour. The Spanish 21st seed moved into the last eight for the second consecutive year after dismissing the experienced Italian Flavia Pennetta 6-3 6-4.

She said she expects a tough game with the Czech left-hander. “To beat Sharapova in two sets makes me feel that she's playing good tennis,” said Muguruza. “I saw Lucie this year and she's having great results. But it’s Roland Garros and there's a lot of pressure. My objective, of course, is to reach the finals and I will do my best to reach the finals.”

One Italian, however, did make it into the last eight. The 2012 runner-up Sara Errani dispatched the unseeded German Julia Goerges in straight sets to reach the quarters for the first time since her surge to the final three years ago.

The second seed Roger Federer also reacquainted himself with the quarter-finals after missing out last year. His match with the French 13th seed Gael Monfils resumed on Monday afternoon at one set all after being suspended on Sunday night due to poor light. Federer took the third set 6-4 and swept through the fourth 6-1. The 33-year-old Swiss said the overnight pause had helped him refocus.

“On Sunday night I felt like I was doing the right things and that the plays were the right ones,” said the 17 times grand slam champion. “I was moving well. I was sort of dictating. But he was always going to be dangerous once he started to unload on the forehand and stuff, but we know that. So I think under the circumstances and the conditions I actually played pretty well and I felt like if the conditions get better it might be even a better thing. Even though I thought that Gael also was going to serve better in the easier conditions, it never really happened. So I think that was the difference at the end, I served more consistently.”

Elsewhere in the men’s draw, the Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer advanced to the last eight at the expense of the Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic and the British third seed Andy Murray accounted for the unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.

For all the pre-tournament horror stories about his demise, the defending champion Rafael Nadal is still alive and picking off opponents. The unseeded American Jack Sock was taken out in four sets. Next up for Nadal is the match everyone has been waiting for. The Spaniard will play the top seed Novak Djokovic who eliminated the French 20th seed Richard Gasquet in straight sets.

Djokovic hasn’t won a French Open title. Nadal denied him both times they met in the final in 2012 and 2014. Djokovic is also trying to become only the eighth man to have claimed a crown at all four grand slam venues - the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Nadal and Federer are already in that pantheon. Preventing Djokovic from entering that elite clique isn’t to the fore of Nadal’s mind. He is simply on a quest for Roland Garros title number 10.