US OPEN
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Date: 31 August - 13 September
BBC coverage: Live text commentaries on the website from 1600 BST each day, regular updates on 5 live, full commentary on 5 live sports extra in week two, both finals on 5 live
**World number one Dinara Safina was knocked out of the US Open after an error-strewn display saw her beaten 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-5) by Petra Kvitova.**Safina made 39 unforced errors and nine double faults as the unseeded Kvitova, 19, won in two hours and 34 minutes to set up a meeting with Yanina Wickmayer.
Earlier, unseeded American Melanie Oudin beat former world number one Maria Sharapova 3-6 6-4 7-5.
But sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova went through, beating Shahar Peer 7-5 6-1.
Next up for the Russian is ninth seed **Caroline **Wozniacki,the 19-year-old Dane racing to a 6-3 6-2 win against Sorana Cristea.
Oudin, who is building a burgeoning reputation having knocked Jelena Jankovic out of Wimbledon and beaten Elena Dementieva in round two at Flushing Meadows, takes on Nadia Petrova after she beat Jie Zheng 6-4 6-1.
“It’s a success in the sense that I’m back out playing tennis and hitting a tennis ball for a living - I’m lucky enough that I worked that hard to get back to being on the court”
Maria Sharapova
“I just kept fighting and fighting and tried as hard as I could,” said the 17-year-old. "I just can’t believe it.
"She double-faulted a couple of times on important points and I kept putting pressure on her second serve.
"I served a really good last game and knew I needed to make some first serves, that was very important.
"I’m still realising I have beaten Maria Sharapova on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the third round of the US Open.
“I have played three Russians so far, Nadia Petrova is a good player but I think it will be a good match.”
Sharapova made an incredible 63 unforced errors and 21 double faults but remained positive in defeat.
“With the amount of errors I made from both my groundstrokes and my serve, to be able to get it to three sets is not bad,” said the 22-year-old Russian.
“If I didn’t make those errors, those double-faults, I certainly would have won the match. So that gives me some confidence.”
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova spent more than nine months on the sidelines following shoulder surgery.
“It’s a success in the sense that I’m back out playing tennis and hitting a tennis ball for a living,” she said.
606: DEBATE
“Oudin is a great fighter, I knew she would add Maria to her list of scalps”
Foxes-Ace
“I’m lucky enough that I worked that hard to get back to being on the court. I have to work not just as hard but harder to get back to the top.”
Oudin had opportunities to edge ahead earlier in the match as a fluctuating first set saw the teenager’s two breaks of serve outweighed by four from Sharapova.
But, after squandering six set points, Oudin finally converted a seventh in the 10th game of the second as Sharapova planted a forehand between the tramlines.
Oudin carried her momentum into the decider with a break in the first game, but, after a medical time-out, Sharapova clawed her way back to 3-3.
With both players struggling to hold serve, two break apiece moved the score to 5-5, before Oudin seized control.
After breaking Sharapova, she pounced on a short, weak shot and powered home a forehand to finally hold her own serve and end the contest.
Argentina’s Gisela Dulko ousted Yaroslava Shvedova, a three-set winner against Jankovic in round two, 6-3 6-4 out on Court 11.
In round four Dulko will play Kateryna Bondarenko after the Ukrainian saw off Anastasia Rodionova 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.