Amelie Mauresmo saw her French Open hopes go up in flames once again on Saturday on a bad day for the home fans.
Mauresmo lost 4-6, 6-3, 4-6 to 17-year-old Serb Ana Ivanovic in a centre-court stunner as three other French women were sent packing from the third round.
But if it was a dreadful day for the French, the Russians were on a roll with six Russian women into the last 16 and Marat Safin winning the match of the tournament so far, a four-set triumph over former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Mauresmo was making her 11th straight appearance at the French Open, the tournament she most wants to win and once again her centre-court nerves got the better of her.
She had beaten Ivanovic three times already this year, but each time it had been harder and she had been expecting a real battle in French prime time after cruising through her first two rounds.
The Serbian set the tone of the tie by breaking the Mauresmo serve in the opening game and it was a battle all the way after that for the French third seed.
Twice, Ivanovic looked like putting the match away — firstly at one set and 3-1 up in the second and then at 3-1 up in the third.
But urged on by a packed and partisan crowd, Mauresmo dug deep to keep her hopes alive.
She looked like pulling it off when Ivanovic needed brief medical treatment at 4-3 up in the decider, but Mauresmo promptly had another wobble and double-faulted on match point to make yet another early exit.
”I had problems breathing and I felt weak and dizzy,” said Ivanovic of her troubles. ”It’s happened a few times before, but I am alright once I have had something to drink and eat.”
Mauresmo paid tribute to her teenage opponent.
”There was a fight, there was a match and she is the one who made it through,” said Mauresmo. ”I knew she would be a tough opponent as she has improved so much over the last few months.”
Earlier in the day, her compatriots Tatania Golovin, Emilie Loit and Nathalie Dechy all lost, leaving 2000 winner Mary Pierce as the sole survivor from the home camp.
Ranged against Pierce in the last 16 will be six Russians.
The Russians dominated for the first time at Roland Garros last year when Anastasia Myskina became the first grand-slam winner from her country by defeating Elena Dementieva in the final.
Myskina was a first-round casualty this year, but Dementieva is back again going through on Friday with Elena Likhovtseva.
Joining them on Saturday were Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and United States Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, as well as Nadia Petrova and Elena Bovina.
While the Russians have been on a surge, traditional rivals the United States have slumped, with only top seed Lindsay Davenport still surviving into the fourth round from 12 who lined up in the main draw.
As usual all eyes were on glamour girl Sharapova, who is striving to adapt her go-for-bust game to the requirements of clay.
”I think I am playing a lot better than last year, I still need to be more patient and realise that I can’t go for winners quickly. Some balls are not too comfortable to go for; sometimes I hit it too flat,” she said.
Belgium’s Justine Henin-Hardenne also went through, hitting back from a nightmare start in which she lost the opening five games before steadying the ship to see off the gutsy challenge of Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues in three sets 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
But it was a far from convincing performance from the 2003 champion in Paris who continues to struggle with her form and fitness.
Safin’s thrilling win over Ferrero was sweet revenge for the third seed.
He had been beaten in the semifinals in Paris in 2002 by Ferrero and had also lost both his matches this year against the 2003 French Open champion, at Monte Carlo and at Hamburg where the two were involved in an ugly slanging match over a disputed line call.
”It’s the kind of match which you want to watch on the video back home,” said Safin. ”You have to do something extra when you play against Ferrero. You can’t just run around the baseline; you have to put pressure on him and take your opportunities.”
Despite his win, Safin said he is not prepared to consider himself a favourite for the title even with top seed Roger Federer, whom he beat at the Australian Open, and fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal in the other half of the draw.
But he is concerned over the effects of tendonitis in his left knee.
Among those also into the last 16 were Spain’s Tommy Robredo, who next goes up against Safin, and last year’s losing finalist, Guillermo Coria of Argentina. — Sapa-AFP