Top seed falls; Safina survives scary Round of 16 match

There was both sadness and happiness for those who were in action on Day 7 of the Australian Open, but it mainly sadness for the World No. 1, who lost her Round of 16 match in straight sets to a Frenchwoman.

No. 1 seed and rank Jelena Jankovic seemed to be in great form in her previous rounds, but it was proved wrong by No. 16 seed Marion Bartoli, who won to the Serb 61 64.

"I was confident today because I played really well in my last match," Bartoli said. "I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day, it was just a matter of executing it, playing the right shots at the right times and not making too many mistakes."

Bartoli will next face No. 7 seed Vera Zvonareva, who won to compatriot No. 10 seed Nadia Petrova, 75, 64.

No. 3 seed Dinara Safina was also faco=ing a tough opponent on Sunday, as she won the first set, lost the second and was down 5-2 in the third against No. 15 seed Alize Cornet. The Frenchwoman even had some match points, but the Russian then managed to come back and win in three sets, 62 26 75.

"It's the first time I'm actually in the quarters here, so I'm pleased about that. But other than that I'm disappointed with the way I played. What I did on the court today was really sad. But nobody's playing great yet. We all need matches to find our best form. I need to improve for my next match."

Safina will next face wildcard Jelena Dokic, who won to No. 29 seed Alisa Kleybanova in the night match, 75 57 86.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Singles - Fourth Round

(16) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. (1) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 61 64

(3) Dinara Safina (RUS) d. (15) Alizé Cornet (FRA) 62 26 75

(7) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. (10) Nadia Petrova (RUS) 75 64

(WC) Jelena Dokic (AUS) d. (29) Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 75 57 86