Yet another shocker on Paris clay for 'choker' Sharapova

Sharapova wasted a match point in the second set and even called herself a "choker " in a bid to spark a revival that never came as she lost 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 to fellow Russian Dinara Safina, the 13th seed who now plays another compatriot Elena Dementieva in the last eight.

The Paris tennis fans, who have never been won over by Sharapova and famously jeered her last year, greeted the top seed's exit with loud boos and despite her claim to be unaffected, it was difficult to ignore their verdict.

Sharapova said: "I can't please everyone and it's not in my job description.

"I am an athlete and I go out there and fight my heart out. They paid for the ticket to watch me, so they must appreciate me on some level, right?

"I will be upset and I am going to go back on the court and - whatever surface it is, hardcourt, backyard on the wall - and work hard."

For Sharapova, this loss - her third in six meetings with Safina - could cost her the world No1 ranking and she may even bypass her usual Wimbledon warm-up event in Birmingham to fully erase yet another failure on the Paris clay from her memory.

The Russian only inherited the mantle of tennis' top woman because Justine Henin retired on the eve of her French Open title defence and filling the void in the sport is proving difficult here. We have already seen Serena and Venus Williams exit and now Sharapova, the obvious replacement has come up short.

Admitting the expectation got to her, she said: "There are many days where you really have to fight and you have to scrap and you have to do everything you can to win.

"Many days, you're not playing your best, and you just try to find those openings and opportunities. Sometimes you do get those and then you don't take them. I guess in sport, it's tough because as much as I want to go out there and do everything perfect, especially on this stuff [clay], it's not as easy."

Safina received a "well done" text after the win from big brother Marat - a former Australian and US Open champion - and there were signs that his sibling also possesses a fiery temperament.

Marat is famous for breaking his rackets and his sister admitted: "I am not the girl to keep all the emotions I have inside. I guess I have to pay lots of fines, because that's the way I am. I prefer to let it go.

"My coach told me it was way too much crying in my first set during the rain break and he prefers that I stay at least quiet for a certain moment.

"If I feel that I have to explode then I explode. But the first set saw too much crying from my side."

Seventh seed Dementieva moved into the quarter-finals for only the second time with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory over another Russian, Vera Zvonarena.

Dementieva, the 2004 runner-up, held her nerve the better in an error-strewn match, her famously shaky serve just about holding up.

"I feel like I've done some work, and it's really improved a little bit," she said. "It's not perfect yet, but I feel more comfortable. It doesn't make me bad or down when I'm serving now.

"I think it was a tough match, but I learned my lesson. Today on the court when I lost the second set I was trying to stay more positive, more aggressive with her, because I know she's a great clay-court player."

Dementieva faces a compatriot for the third time in this tournament and she said: "I feel like I'm playing a Russian championship not Roland Garros."

The two remaining fourth-round matches in the women's draw will be completed today.

Fourth seed Kuznetsova was leading 6-2, 2-2 against Victoria Azarenka when fading light brought an end to proceedings, while Kaia Kanepi and Petra Kvitova were tied at one-set all.