Sharapova Shown Exit at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - It was the day of the underdog at the Pacific Life Open Tuesday, with the lower-ranked player winning six of the eight fourth-round matches set down for decision. As such, three of the Top 4 seeds shown the exit door.

The biggest upset of the women's event so far saw Maria Sharapova fall to fellow Russian, No.15 seed Vera Zvonareva. Having let a 64 53 lead slip, 19-year-old Sharapova lost eight straight games and with the defeat will surrender her No.1 ranking on Monday.

"I was concentrating on every point, trying to get the rhythm, trying to get my game together and I was just fighting for every point, and I think that's why I was able to turn it around," said Zvonareva, who scored her first-ever win over a reigning No.1.

"It's just great to be able to play any player out of the Top 10. To beat a player No. 1 in the world, it's just great for anybody's career."

Sharapova, the defending champion here, needed to reach the semifinals to hold off current No.2 Justine Henin. The loss brings an end to her seven-week stint in the top spot.

"Even in the first two sets I didn't feel like I was playing amazing tennis," admitted Sharapova. "After [I served for the match] I just deflated a little bit. I wasn't moving well at all; I missed a lot of first balls. That obviously gives your opponent so much confidence. She just started swinging and wasn't making a lot of errors."

As she's done for much of this year, Sharapova stuggled on serve, committing 13 double faults.

"There was a lot of wrong things going on today. That was just one of them - especially in the third set. But like I said, it was more of a snowball effect than anything else."

That was just the start of the upsets. Also falling was 2006 semifinalist Martina Hingis, the No.3 seed. In a repeat of the 2002 Pacific Life Open final - in competitors and winner - Hantuchova nearly duplicated the score of five years ago (63 64). The No.14 seed's 64 63 win on Tuesday featured comebacks in both sets - points for a 5-3 lead in the first set and a break point for 4-1 in the second.

"It was such a joy for me to be out there," said Hantuchova, who won her first and so far only Tour singles title here in 2002. "I was enjoying it so much and can't tell you how many memories it was bringing back to me. And really, just being on the court, and with Martina, it was definitely something special."

It was Hingis's second loss to Hantuchova in less than a fortnight, having fallen to the Slovak in the Doha quarterfinals, squandering a 61 41 lead.

"Somehow after [losing the first-set service break] I lost the nerve," said Hingis. "I'm still up 3-1 in the second, again, breakpoint to go 4-1, then she served. That's why for me it's difficult playing like her or Davenport in the past, or Serena, who kind of served well and put pressure on my serve."

No.4 seed Nadia Petrova succumbed to heat illness and No.13 seed Tatiana Golovin; trailing 62 10, Petrova couldn't continue, allowing Golovin to reach the quarterfinals here for the first time.

That leaves world No.4 Svetlana Kuznetsova as the only Top 4 seed left in contention; the No.2 seed overwhelmed Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama, 62 62.

"I think I played well, but I didn't let her do her game," said Kuznetsova. "She tried new things - she fought all the match from start to the end, so this is the good thing about her. And then I think I just took control of the points."

Kuznetsova now plays No.6 seed Nicole Vaidisova, who joined the Russian as the only higher-ranked players to win on Tuesday. The Czech teen came from behind to beat France's Marion Bartoli, the No.17 seed, 46 63 62.

Continuing the upset theme was No.12 seed Li Na, who couldn't convert two match points at 6-5 in the second set against No.7 seed Jelena Jankovic, advancing nonetheless, 63 76(1). The Chinese No.1 takes on Zvonareva in the quarterfinals.

No.11 seed Shahar Peer of Israel continued her impressive form this year with a 64 76(2) win over Russian Anna Chakvetadze, the No.8 seed. Chakvetadze served for the second set at 5-4 but a determined Peer broke back, racing through the ensuing tie-break.

"It was really tough match," said Peer, who meets Hantuchova for a place in the semifinals. "Anna is a tough player. In the tiebreaker, I was going for my serves. I think on the right moments I went for my shots and that's why I won."

No.33 seed Sybille Bammer, the only mother competing this week in Indian Wells, set up a quarterfinal showdown with Golovin with a 67(6) 60 63 win over No.10 seed Ana Ivanovic.

"It's getting better and better," said Bammer, 26, of her ever-improving form. "The last two years I'm working very hard, and I get better every day a little bit. And I think I improved everything: mentally, fitness, and also my tennis is better now. I can play also fast, where in the past, I just was running and put the ball into the court."

Bammer, whose daughter Tina is aged five-and-a-half, says juggling the role of parent and tennis pro is challenging, but rewarding.

"Yeah, it's hard, but I like it, and the hard thing is I don't have so much time to relax, but I like how it is, so I don't think 24 hours [a day] on tennis."

In the doubles draw, the top seeds have held their form a lot better with No.3 seeds Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez and No.4 seeds Nathalie Dechy and Zvonareva both advancing to the quarterfinals Tuesday.

No.1 seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur and No.2 Yan Zi and Zheng Jie are also still in contention at this $2.1 million, Tier I event. (WTA)