Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova's luck finally ran out at the French Open yesterday, as Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova set up a headline-grabbing third-round clash.
Sixth seed Kuznetsova lost 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to 30th-seeded Russian compatriot Maria Kirilenko in the third round, having already survived four match points in her second-round win over Germany's Andrea Petkovic.
"I didn't come here with my best game, but I gave my all and I fought all I could," said a downbeat Kuznetsova.
"You cannot play great all the time. It's up and downs. I haven't been playing well this claycourt season or this season. It happens and I'll be back. It's just a matter of time."
Kirilenko, who also beat Kuznetsova on the Rome clay earlier this month, spurned two match points before converting the third and will meet 17th seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy for a last-eight berth.
Four-time champion Henin and former world number one Sharapova will contest a place in the last 16 today after comfortably winning second-round matches that had been held over because of rain on Thursday.
Henin, the 22nd seed, finished off a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Czech Klara Zakopalova, with 12th seed Sharapova completing a victory over Henin's Belgian countrywoman Kirsten Flipkens by the same score.
Men's heavyweights Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal lifted the with the Spanish claycourt king setting up a fourth Roland Garros clash in five years with Lleyton Hewitt.
Defending champion Federer cruised past German qualifier Julian Reister 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 to reach the fourth round and will tackle fellow Swiss, and close friend, Stanislas Wawrinka for a place in the quarter-finals.
World 165 Reister, whose career earnings of 170,000 dollars pale against Federer's bank-busting 55 million, held his own until 4-4 in the first set.
But Federer then eased through the gears, allowing his opponent just four points in an 18-minute second set before comfortably wrapping up the affair.
Nadal, the second seed, cruised past Argentina's Horacio Zeballos, a fellow left-hander, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in his delayed second-round clash.
Former world number one Hewitt, the 28th seed and twice a quarter-finalist, displayed his trademark gutsy talents to see off Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
Britain's Andy Murray, the fourth seed, joined Federer in the last 16 with a 6-2, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 win over Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus.
Murray will face Czech 15th seed Tomas Berdych, who enjoyed a straight sets win over America's John Isner, for a place in the last eight.
In third-round matches, Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva, a losing finalist here in 2004, dug deep to grind out a gruelling 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-4 win over Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak.
Third seed Caroline Wozniacki also produced a determined performance to reach the fourth round after winning 6-3, 6-4 against Romanian 31st seed Alexandra Dulgheru, who won in Warsaw last week.
With unbroken sunshine replacing the rain and gloom of the previous two days, second seed Venus Williams was the first woman to reach the last 16 following a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Slovakian 26th seed Dominika Cibulkova.
The American will face either rising French star Aravane Rezai, the 15th seed, or Russian 19th seed Nadia Petrova for a quarter-final berth, after their third-round match was suspended because of fading light at 7-7 in the last set.
Earlier, top seed Serena Williams demolished German world number 77 Julia Goerges 6-1, 6-1 in just 55 minutes and will face Russian 29th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in round three.