Samantha Stosur gave tournament favourite Maria Sharapova an almighty scare before bowing out of the French Open with a three-set defeat in the fourth round.
The Australian 19th seed blew a one-set lead as the Russian prevailed 3-6 6-4 6-0 in an epic Roland Garros encounter lasting just over two hours on Sunday.
Stosur missed an opportunity to capitalise on a wide-open women’s draw after the top three seeds failed to reach the last 16.
However, she will take some encouragement at reaching the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time in two years – and pushing the 2012 champion and 2013 runner-up to the limit when she got there.
The 30-year-old had won only two of 15 previous encounters with Sharapova but, after a slow start, she gradually wore the seventh seed down throughout the first set.
Stosur edged ahead when she converted a fourth break point to take a 4-3 lead.
She fought hard to hold serve before breaking again, sealing the first set in 48 minutes when Sharapova double faulted.
It seemed inevitable the Russian would respond in the second set and so it proved as she took a 2-0 lead.
But Stosur held serve to love in the next game then broke back when Sharapova double faulted again, shortly after being called for a time violation.
Serving superbly as she had all tournament, Stosur kept her nose in front and looked a strong chance of victory at 4-3 up on serve.
However Sharapova, as she has done so many times in her career, rallied strongly.
She broke the Australian to love before holding serve to level the match at a set apiece.
The Russian was at her ruthless best in the deciding set, racing away with it to book a last-eight meeting with either of unseeded players Spaniard Garbine Muguruza or Pauline Parmentier.
Stosur arrived in Paris on the back of a frustrating 2014 campaign so far but produced some of her best performances of the season in the opening rounds.
The 2011 US Open champion will now turn her attention to the grass and next month’s Wimbledon, where she has never been past the third round.
Stosur’s exit ends Australian involvement in singles at Roland Garros this year.