As the good weather returned for a portion of Monday and week two churned into full throttle, it was a day of competitive matches and upsets. When the dust settled, two major champions were eliminated while one survived, leaving just two of the top-10 seeds in the women’s draw.

Safarova dethrones defending champion Sharapova

Thirteenth-seeded Lucie Safarova continued her best year on the tour, taking down defending champion Maria Sharapova, 7-6 6-4. It was a match in which the Czech was spot-on and played with a purpose throughout. And while Sharapova was not 100 percent, coughing after some points, Safarova deserves credit for the result.

In the first set, Safarova gained a break advantage early. As play settled in, Sharapova found a spark, breaking back and gained the momentum. However, as it appeared the second seed was back on track, Safarova fought back and the set moved into a tiebreak. There, Safarova found success from her forehand side as she ripped cross-court strikes, causing difficulties for the two-time Roland Garros champion. On the 11th unforced error from Sharapova’s racket, Safarova took the first set.

As the second set began, Safarova continued to maintain pressure, gaining an early advantage. However, as expected and witnessed numerous times, the five-time major champion mounted a comeback. The pair remained on serve until the 10th game with Sharapova serving at 4-5. But any thought of Safarova buckling under pressure was set aside as she struck deep and powerful groundstrokes, placing the Russian in peril. After Sharapova fought off one match point, the Czech went to her forehand once more with a winner to take the set and match.

Afterwards, Sharapova refused to blame her illness for the defeat. “My opponent was at a much higher level more consistently than I was, and that results in a bad day at the office,” she said. “She was the much more aggressive player and took the time away from me and created her angles, and I didn't.”

With the defeat, the French Open will have a final that does not include Sharapova for the first time since 2011. Meanwhile, Safarova enters her first quarterfinal at Roland Garros and has assured herself entry into the world top 10 at the tournament’s conclusion.

Williams survives scare, advances to quarterfinals

In a theme that has become all too familiar at Roland Garros, Serena Williams overcame a slow start to rally for a 1-6 7-5 6-3 victory against Sloane Stephens.

Williams appeared sluggish, even lethargic at times during the first set, spraying errors in an emotionless display. The typically aggressive Williams struck only five winners in a first set in which she won just 15 points. Stephens benefited from consistently keeping the ball in play, allowing the veteran American to miss shots she would typically control.

The prognosis did not appear optimistic at the beginning of the second set for Williams, as the trend continued. However, it was a rally in the sixth game of the set that changed the momentum. Ironically, it was a point in which Stephens played tremendous defense, forcing Williams to aggressively find sharp angles. Finally, Williams fired a shot that did not return, and for the first time in the match, a “come on” screeched throughout Philippe Chatrier Court. The players would exchange breaks of service before Williams finally gained an advantage and evened the set.

Despite the fact that Stephens continued to fight into the third set, the momentum was clearly on the side of Williams, and the strong vibe of the inevitable outcome loomed. Williams proceeded to break the younger American twice in the set and, despite a poor overall performance, advanced.

As for her string of poor starts, Williams shared her perspective, “It’s not how you start, I guess. It’s how you finish,” she said. “That’s kind of how I’m looking at it.”

Kvitova dumped by Bacsinszky

It was a tale of three different matches rolled into one as Timea Bacsinszky upset fourth-seeded Petra Kvitova 2-6 6-0 6-3 on Monday.

In the first set, Kvitova resembled the player who won the title at Madrid leading into Roland Garros. Recognizing Bacsinszky’s poor serving, the Czech aggressively attacked that shot and broke serve four times in the set while consistently forcing the Swiss into a defensive mode.

However, in the second set, the script was flipped. The 23rd seed gained control of play, breaking Kvitova three times and capitalizing on 15 unforced errors. The two-time Wimbledon champion suddenly could not gain traction on Bacsinszky’s serve.

As play moved into the third set, both players settled down, but it was Bacsinszky who played more cleanly, while Kvitova continued to pile up the errors. Forty-one unforced errors were the undoing of the Czech in this match.

It is Bacsinszky’s first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam event as she advances in a draw that has suddenly become wide open. With the exits of all but Williams and Ana Ivanovic from the top-10 seeds, names such as Bacsinszky, Elina Svitolina, Garbine Muguruza, and Alison Van Uytvanck find themselves in the final eight. And as unpredictable as this version of Roland Garros has become, expect the unexpected as play advances to the semifinals.