• French Open, Day Eight

Venus crashes to fourth-round exit

Justine Henin will face Samantha Stosur in the last eight after beating Maria Sharapova © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Stosur ends Henin's unbeaten run in Paris
  
• News: Soderling sets up Federer rematch at Roland Garros
  
• News: Nadal continues to look unstoppable in Paris
  
• News: Serena through, Henin-Sharapova match finely poised
  
• Profile: Justine Henin | Maria Sharapova

Day eight gallery
Men's round-up

No. 2 seed Venus Williams' participation in this year's French Open is over after she limped to a 6-4 6-3 defeat against Nadia Petrova.

The American, who reached the final at Roland Garros back in 2002, never looked like getting the better of Petrova as she struggled to deal with some wickedly-angled groundstrokes by her Russian opponent.

The No. 19 seed broke Williams four times during the match and served solidly throughout, as she booked a quarter-final encounter with Elena Dementieva. Dementieva, a Roland Garros finalist herself in 2004, looked in complete control of her game as she pieced together a comfortable 6-1 6-3 win over Chanelle Scheepers.

Former World No. 1 Justine Henin kept her bid for a fifth French Open title on course with a battling 6-2 3-6 6-3 win over Maria Sharapova.

The No. 22 seed, who has not lost a match at Roland Garros for five years, lost the second set late last night before bad light stopped. The delay favoured Henin, who had been on the ropes somewhat after Sharapova got her powerful forehand working.

It was the Belgians' forehand which was most impressive when play resumed though, and she used it clinically to break her Russian opponent in the sixth game of the final set. Sharapova did break back but failed to cement her reply as she dropped serve in the following game, allowing Henin to seal her progress and set up a fourth-round clash with Australia's Samantha Stosur.

No. 3 seed Caroline Wozniacki was forced to graft in her fourth-round match with Flavia Pennetta. The Dane won the first set on a tiebreak but was pegged back by her Italian opponent in the second.

Pennetta, though, looked exhausted by her efforts and offered little in the way of a shock in the deciding set as Wozniacki broke twice to set seal on a hard-fought 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-2 win.

Wozniacki will face Francesca Schiavone in the last eight, after she eliminated Maria Kirilenko 6-4 6-4.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.