Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Russian Dinara Safina fought off scares in her first two matches at the U.S. Open, but the world's No. 1 ranked player was beaten by Czech Petra Kvitova in three sets in the third round at the final Grand Slam event of the year.
Safina, the reigning French Open and Aussie Open runner-up had plenty of opportunities to win the match, but Kvitova came up with the 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5) victory. Safina trailed 3-1 in the final set, but rallied and went ahead 6-5.
The 19-year-old Kvitova, who reached the fourth round for the second time at a Grand Slam tournament (French Open 2008), then fought off three match points to force the tiebreaker.
Safina saved one match point when Kvitova sent a forehand wide, but a long return by the Russian sealed her fate in a match that ended close to 1 a.m. (et) on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Kvitova overcame 59 unforced errors to earn a match against Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, who beat Italy's Sara Errani, 6-3, 6-4.
American teenager Melanie Oudin pulled off her second straight upstart of a Russian star, as Maria Sharapova was ousted by the Georgia native in Saturday's third-round action.
The 70th-ranked Oudin dismissed the 29th-seeded former world No. 1 Sharapova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The upstart Oudin shocked fourth-seeded former U.S. Open runner-up Elena Dementieva here on Thursday.
"I guess it's kind of surprising, but it's like I've worked so hard for this," said Oudin. "Finally everything is just coming together. I'm playing how I've been wanting to play, how I knew I could play. I just haven't been able to do it continually for an entire match. These past matches here, I've been able to keep it up the entire time, not just a couple points here or there, a set here and there, but like an entire match."
The three-time major champion Sharapova captured a U.S. Open title back in 2006.
"I thought she played really well. I thought she has many weapons," said Sharapova. "She certainly held her ground. I still feel like I had my chances, even though it wasn't my best day."
Sharapova had little trouble with Oudin in the opening set on Saturday, but the young American fought back and captured the second set on her seventh set point to surprise Sharapova and force a third and deciding stanza.
In the final set, Sharapova saved six break points to pull within 2-3 and then summoned a trainer to work on her right arm. The Russian superstar was sidelined for more than 10 months because of a right shoulder injury that wound up requiring surgery last year. She returned to the tour earlier this season.
In the first game following Sharapova's injury timeout, Oudin broke for a 4-3 edge. And then following several more breaks of serve on either side, Oudin found herself serving for the match at 6-5 and converted on her first match point with a forehand winner into a wide-open court.
The Marietta native Oudin broke into tears as she moved into the second week here for the first time in her blossoming career. The upstart American also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon this summer by shocking former top- ranked star Jelena Jankovic.
Sharapova imploded for 21 double faults and had her once-powerful serve broken eight times. Oudin was also broken on eight occasions in the 2-hour, 58-minute battle.
Oudin's fourth-round opponent will be another Russian, 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova, who was an easy 6-4, 6-1 victor against 21st-seeded Chinese Zheng Jie on Day 6 at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center.
Sixth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova downed Israeli Shahar Peer, 7-5, 6-1. The French Open champion Kuznetsova titled here in 2004 and was the runner- up in 2007.
Next up for Kuznetsova will be ninth-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki, who beat 24th-seeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea, 6-3, 6-2.
Argentine Gisela Dulko reached the fourth round here for the first time in her career with a 6-3, 6-4 handling of Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova, who stunned the fifth-seeded 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Jankovic on Thursday.
Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko defeated Australian Anastasia Rodionova, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. She'll next face Dulko.
The Williams sisters play their fourth-round matches Sunday. Defending champion Serena is on court first at Arthur Ashe Stadium, playing 22nd seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia. Serena already has two Grand Slam championships this year, having already captured titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and is a three-time winner at Flushing Meadows.
Her sister Venus, a two-time Open champ and two-time runner-up, battles Belgium's Kim Clijsters in an intriguing encounter later at Ashe Stadium. Clijsters returned to the sport just last month after a two-year hiatus to begin a family.
Also Sunday, seventh seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia takes on 10th seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy, while China's Li Na, the 18th seed, faces Italy's Francesca Schiavone, the 26th seed.