Stosur has Henin's number

Former champ Nadal in cruise mode; Almagro takes out Verdasco

The four-times champion again failed to scale the heights she achieved when completing a rare hat-trick of titles here in 2007 and the 27-year-old was dumped out in the fourth round by Australia's Samantha Stosur.

Stosur, who reached the semifinals last year, sabotaged an eagerly-anticipated quarterfinal between Henin and Serena Williams but was well worth her 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory as she moved through to face American world number one Serena.

As grey clouds again blanketed the French capital, Serena sped into the last eight with a 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Israel's Shahar Peer despite a shocking start when she lost the opening seven points on Court Phillipe Chatrier.

With the claycourt slam rumbling towards next weekend's climax, the remaining four men's and women's quarterfinal berths were up for grabs on Day Nine -- exactly a year since Rafael Nadal's fourth-round defeat by Robin Soderling sent shockwaves through the game.

However Nadal safely avoided any such fears, snuffing out Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci 6-2, 7-5, 6-4.

Nadal was pushed hard by the 22-year-old after dominating the first set but the outcome was never seriously in doubt.

The Spanish world number two had his serve broken four times during the two hour and 33 minute contest on a packed Court Philippe Chatrier but always found a stinging response to deflate the 24th seed.

Nadal, bidding for a fifth title, will face compatriot Nicolas Almagro, who pummelled Fernando Verdasco into submission. The 24-year-old blasted away from the baseline with his sledgehammer forehand, advancing 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 12 minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

World number one Roger Federer advanced on Sunday in the top half of the draw and Serbia's Novak Djokovic, who beat his first three opponents here with a minimum of fanfare, moved into the business end of the tournament on Monday.

Up against Robby Ginepri, the sole American man to survive to the last 16, Djokovic initially had some sticky moments before leaving his opponent face down in the Parisian dust.

"I'm in great shape for the second week of the tournament," the 23-year-old Djokovic said after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory that set up a quarterfinal against Jurgen Melzer.
Melzer, the oldest man left in the draw, became the first Austrian since Thomas Muster in 1998 to reach the last eight when he knocked out Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili 7-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic eased past Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals on Monday.

Jankovic will next face Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova, who dismissed Australia's Jarmila Groth 6-4, 6-3.

Meanwhile, Leander Paes and his partner Cara Black advanced to the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles event after a hard-fought 7-5, 2-6, 10-8 victory in super tie-breaker over Su-Wei Hsieh and Bruno Soares.

Results (fourth round, prefix denotes seeding): Men: 19-Nicolas Almagro (Spa) bt 7-Fernando Verdasco (Spa) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4; 2-Rafa Nadal (Spa) bt 24-Thomaz Bellucci (Bra) 6-2, 7-5, 6-4; 22-Juergen Melzer (Aut) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (Rus) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4; 3-Novak Djokovic (Ser) bt Robby Ginepri (US) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2; 15-Tomas Berdych (Cze) bt 4-Andy Murray (Bri) 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.

Women: Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) bt Jarmila Groth (Aus) 6-4, 6-3; 4-Jelena Jankovic (Ser) bt 23-Daniela Hantuchova (Slo) 6-4, 6-2; 7-Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt 22-Justine Henin (Bel) 2-6, 6-1, 6-4; 1-Serena Williams (US) bt 18-Shahar Peer (Isr) 6-2, 6-2.