Safina rallies past Sharapova

Maria Sharapova squandered a 5-1 lead in the final set Sunday, and fellow Russian Dinara Safina won 18 of the last 21 points for a stunning comeback victory at the French Open, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5.

The 20-year-old Safina, seeded 14th, earned her first berth in a major quarterfinal. The younger sister of two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin, she improved to 16-4 on clay this year.

Sharapova, seeded fourth, failed to convert two set points in the opening set, then rallied but couldn't close out the victory. She was twice broken serving for the match, hitting errant forehands on three consecutive points to lose serve for 5-all.

Safina controlled the rallies in the final two games, keeping Sharapova on the move with shots into the corners. When Safina sealed the upset with a backhand crosscourt winner, she threw her arms aloft, then swung her racket one last time with glee.

Safina will next play another Russian, former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. The No. 8-seeded Kuznetsova lost her serve seven times but rallied past No. 9 Francesca Schiavone 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Sharapova's troubles started in the first set. Safina erased a set point serving at 3-5 and another in the next game when Sharapova shanked a forehand. Safina took the set by breaking serve at love.

Sharapova rebounded, taking leads of 3-0 in the second set and 4-0 in the third. She was two points from victory serving at 5-2 but won only three more points, one on a double fault.

The 5-foot-111/2 Safina made up for any lack of agility with excellent anticipation, often correctly guessing which direction to move before Sharapova even hit the ball.

Sharapova, who has reached the semifinals at every major event except Roland Garros, looked off balance at times on the clay chasing Safina's powerful groundstrokes. Sharapova committed 63 unforced errors while also struggling with her serve -- she won only nine of 29 points on her second serve.

Safina converted eight of 10 breakpoint chances.