PARIS — Venus Williams' celebrated
corset went under wraps Sunday, and now it's out of the French Open.
Playing with a long-sleeve top over
her black lace outfit on a chilly afternoon, Williams lost in the fourth
round to Nadia Petrova, 6-4, 6-3.
Williams came into the tournament
seeded No. 2 behind her sister Serena, but Petrova spoiled the
possibility of a sibling showdown in the final.
"I'm obviously disappointed," Williams
said. "I feel like I had a day where I wanted to hit the ball
cross-court and it went down the line. It just wasn't a good day."
Petrova has been a nemesis for the
Williams family lately — she beat Serena in the third round at Madrid
less than three weeks ago.
Justine Henin rallied in a
winner-take-all set that seemed like a final, outslugging Maria
Sharapova 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. The two former No. 1s returned to center court
following an overnight suspension of the third-round showdown after two
sets.
In men's play, top-ranked Roger
Federer reached the quarterfinals in his bid for a second successive
title, beating Olympic doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 7-6 (5),
6-2.
Federer will next play No. 5-seeded
Robin Soderling in a rematch of last year's final. Soderling advanced by
beating No. 10 Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
No. 11 Mikhail Youzhny earned his
first berth in a Roland Garros quarterfinal when No. 8 Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga retired with a leg injury trailing 6-2.
Joining Petrova in the women's
quarterfinals were No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 5 Elena Dementieva and
No. 17 Francesca Schiavone.
On a damp, windy afternoon, Petrova
and Williams bundled up. Only the flounce of Williams' buzz-generating
corset was visible, while Petrova wore long sleeves and tights under a
frilly skirt.
The Russian controlled rallies with
steady play from the baseline and finished strong, a problem for her in
the past. Petrova swept the final four games and wobbled only once,
shanking an overhead when leading love-30 in the final game.
She collected herself and won the
final two points, closing out the match with an emphatic forehand
winner.
"I don't think she did anything super
special, but I think she just played a little bit more consistently,"
Williams said. "The conditions aren't that easy with the rain and the
wind."
Williams converted only one of seven
break-point chances. In the second set she lost serve three times after
taking a 2-love lead.
Serena Williams wore her playing
outfit while watching her sister's defeat from the stands. They later
teamed up in a third-round doubles match, beating Andrea Hlavackova and
Lucie Hradecka 6-1, 6-2.
Petrova, seeded 19th, is a two-time
semifinalist, but she's into the quarterfinals for the first time since
2005. The victory was her first against Venus in their five meetings.
Williams came into the tournament
with the best record this year on the women's tour, but tricky footing
has always made clay her worst surface. In 14 French Open appearances,
she reached the semifinals only once — in 2002, when she lost to her
sister in the final. She has advanced beyond the fourth round just once
in the past six years.
Henin and Sharapova played the seesaw
final set after the match was suspended late Saturday because of
darkness. The pivotal moment came when Henin fell behind 0-2, love-40,
then overcame four break points to hold.
She soon led 4-2, broke to go ahead
5-3 and served out the victory.
"I kept my chances to win this
tournament," said the four-time champion, playing at Roland Garros for
the first time since 2007. "I will give my best and enjoy it. It was a
really good test."
The victory extended Henin's winning
streak at Roland Garros to 24 matches. It was the first meeting between
the two rivals since Henin spent 20 months in retirement before mounting
a career comeback this year.
Henin next plays No. 7 Sam Stosur.
Federer struggled with the wind at
times and fell behind 4-2 in the second set, but the No. 20-seeded
Wawrinka couldn't hold the lead and missed an easy volley at 5-all in
the tiebreaker.
When Wawrinka lost the set, he mangled
his racket, and Federer quickly pulled away after that. The defending
champion has won all 12 sets he's played so far.
"I'm happy with the way things are
going," Federer said. "I'm serving well, I'm moving well. Everything is
fine."
Wozniacki, enjoying her best run at
Roland Garros, needed three hours to beat No. 14 Flavia Pennetta 7-6
(5), 6-7 (4), 6-2. No. 5 Elena Dementieva beat unseeded Chanelle
Scheepers 6-1, 6-3. No. 17 Francesca Schiavone defeated No. 30 Maria
Kirilenko 6-4, 6-4.