Russian top seeds Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva suffered shock defeats at the Australian Open on Monday as local hope Lleyton Hewitt produced a dramatic fight back to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. French Open champion Myskina and sixth seed Dementieva had been expected to easily join compatriots Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova in the last eight by beating lower-ranked fourth round opponents.
But in the biggest upset of the tournament so far, third seed Myskina was sent crashing out by 19th seeded Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy, losing a one-sided encounter 6-4, 6-2 on the Rod Laver Arena.
Dechy was delighted after reaching a grand slam quarter-final for the first time in her career but bristled at Myskina's assertion that the result had more to do with the Russian's own shortcomings.
Dechy will now play Swiss 12th seed Patty Schnyder, who advanced to the quarter-finals after a dramatic collapse by Dementieva, the losing finalist at the French and US Opens last season.
Dementieva was beaten after leading Schnyder by a set and 4-0 to eventually lose 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.
Elsewhere in the women's draw, top seed Lindsay Davenport got through to a last eight match against Australian 10th seed Alicia Molik. World number one Davenport had too much power for her 13th-seeded opponent, Karolina Sprem of Croatia, and clinched a 6-2, 6-2 victory in an hour.
Davenport, who shelved retirement plans at the end of last season to chase her fourth grand slam title this year, said she was encouraged by her display.
VENUS OUT: American eighth seed Venus Williams was knocked out of the Open on Monday, losing her fourth round match in straight sets to Alicia Molik of Australia.
Molik, seeded 10, advanced to the quarter-final after downing Williams 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) in 1hr 43min on the Rod Laver Arena.
In the men's draw, third seed Hewitt - aiming to become the first home winner since Mark Edmondson in 1976 - was given the fright of his life by Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal before winning a gruelling five-set thriller.
Nadal, the gifted 18-year-old ranked 56th in the world, forced Hewitt to fight back from two sets to one down to clinch an epic 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory in 3hr 53min.
Hewitt's win put him in the quarter-finals for the first time.
Hewitt admitted he had been clinging on after falling 2-1 behind.
Earlier, second seed Andy Roddick beat Germany's world number 102 Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 in 1hr 27min and will now take on Russian 26th-seed Nikolay Davydenko in Wednesday's quarter-finals.
Davydenko, who sent British seventh seed Tim Henman tumbling out in the previous round, accounted for another higher-ranked player by beating Argentine 12th seed Guillermo Canas 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
Roddick, on course for a semi-final in the bottom half of the draw with Hewitt, served up a total of 15 aces in Monday's match, but his error count was a much higher 25.
NALBANDIAN WINS: Ninth seed David Nalbandian beat fellow Argentine Guillermo Coria 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 in a marathon late match on Monday to reach the quarter-finals. Nalbandian fought back to beat the sixth seed in three hours and 25 minutes to set up a last eight clash against home hope Lleyton Hewitt.
NALBANDIAN WINS: Ninth seed David Nalbandian beat fellow Argentine Guillermo Coria 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 in a marathon late match on Monday to reach the quarter-finals. Nalbandian fought back to beat the sixth seed in three hours and 25 minutes to set up a last eight clash against home hope Lleyton Hewitt.
WOMEN'S SINGLES (4TH ROUND):
Patty Schnyder (SWI x12) bt Elena Dementieva (RUS x6) 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/4), 6-2; Lindsay Davenport (USA x1) bt Karolina Sprem (CRO x13) 6-2, 6-2; Nathalie Dechy (FRA x19) bt Anastasia Myskina (RUS x3) 6-4, 6-2; Alicia Molik (AUS x10) bt Venus Williams (USA x8) 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).
MEN'S SINGLES (4TH ROUND):
Andy Roddick (USA x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1; Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x26) bt Guillermo Canas (ARG x12) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3; Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x3) bt Rafael Nadal (SPA) 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2; David Nalbandian (ARG x9) bt Guillermo Coria (ARG x6) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES (3RD ROUND):
Anabel Medina Garrigues (SPA)/Dinara Safina (RUS) bt Chuang Chia-Jung (TPE)/Rika Fujiwara (JPN) 6-2, 6-3; Gabriela Navratilova (CZE)/Michaela Pastikova (CZE) bt Janet Lee (TPE)/Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1; Eleni Daniilidou (GRE)/Nicole Pratt (AUS x16) bt Marion Bartoli (FRA)/Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
MEN'S DOUBLES (3RD ROUND):
Tomas Berdych (CZE)/Andrei Pavel (ROM) bt Ashley Fisher (AUS)/Travis Parrott (USA) 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-3; Michael Llodra (FRA)/Fabrice Santoro (FRA x6) bt Wesley Moodie (RSA)/Nenad Zimonjic (SEM) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3); Jonas Bjorkman (SWE)/Max Mirnyi (BLR x4) bt Simon Aspelin (SWE)/Todd Perry (AUS x16) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5).
MIXED DOUBLES (2ND ROUND):
Wayne Arthurs (AUS)/Trudi Musgrave (AUS) bt Martin Damm (CZE)/Els Callens (BEL) walkover; Kevin Ullyett (ZIM)/Liezel Huber (RSA x4) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE)/Liu Nannan (CHN) walkover; Cara Black (ZIM)/Wayne Black (ZIM x2) bt Rick Leach (USA)/Virgina Ruano Pascual (SPA) 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8).