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Another record for Fed as Djokovic shows off his French

Fabio Fognini was just two points from defeat when he called a medical time-out © PA Photos

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French Open Day Eight Gallery

28 not out
Roger Federer may not be considered the favourite at Roland Garros, but the world No. 16 clearly didn't get the memo as he cruised into the last eight in Paris. His victory sees him surpass Jimmy Connors' record of 27 consecutive grand slam quarter-finals to clinch the record outright. Federer has not fallen before the quarter-finals at any major since the 2004 French Open.

Tactical timeout?
While all eyes may have been on Federer over on Court Philippe Chatrier, the match of the day was going on over on Suzanne Lenglen. Four hours and 22 minutes of scintillating tennis from two clay-court experts finally saw the Italian Fabio Fognini emerge triumphant after a topsy-turvy final set. But it was not without controversy. Fognini, who had twice battled back from a set down to take the match to a decider, was two points from defeat at 7-9 in the fifth when he appeared to cramp up, and requested a medical time-out for a muscle strain. The rules state that a player may receive treatment for an injury, but not cramp, which is regarded as poor conditioning. Despite being rooted to the baseline, Fognini hit some inch-perfect winners to secure a remarkable 4-6 6-4 3-6 6-3 11-9 victory, but his celebrations were met by boos from the French crowd, who felt the Italian was guilty of gamesmanship.

Djokovic passes French test with flying colours
Novak Djokovic has won over many fans as he continues his astonishing unbeaten streak, but he had to work hard to secure a few more in Paris. Having seen off the challenge of home favourite Richard Gasquet in straight sets, Djokovic was met with boos when interviewed courtside by Cedric Pioline. "What's the matter?," Djokovic asked the spectators in French. In a bid to win over the Parisian crowd, Djokovic asked Pioline to conduct the interview in French, which was greeted by cheers.

Falling like flies
With Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters crashing out in the third round, the third seed Vera Zvonareva was the highest-ranked player left in the women's draw. However, her defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova means the top three seeds are all out. To put that into perspective, just imagine if Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer all failed to reach the last eight of a grand slam. It is the first time in the Open era that the top three women's seeds have failed to make the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

Vera's dilemma
She wasn't thrashed in straight sets like in last year's Wimbledon and US Open finals, but the nature of Zvonareva's defeat must be a cause for concern for the Russian. She threw away a 5-2 lead in the first set, and was a break up in the third before succumbing 7-6(4) 2-6 6-2 to the 14th seed Pavlyuchenkova. With top seed Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters crashing out in the third round, Zvonareva was the top seed remaining in the draw, but insisted it was not a mental issue as she too was sent tumbling. "There is no mental problem," she insisted. "I fought hard, I fought the best I can."

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