Lucie Safarova finds top gear to stun title holder Maria Sharapova at French Open

Russian spends changeovers coughing and spluttering into a tissue but refuses to blame health problems for earliest exit since 2010

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Maria Sharapova cuts a lonely figure in a fourth-round match she lost against Lucie Safarova at the French Open. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:00am, 2 Jun 2015Updated: 10:02am, 2 Jun 2015

Defending champion Maria Sharapova's bid for a third French Open title in four years is over.

Coughing between points on an overcast day, the second-seeded Sharapova was outplayed during a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 loss to 13th-seeded Lucie Safarova, of the Czech Republic, in the fourth round yesterday.

My opponent had a different gear than I did

Maria Sharapova

"My opponent had a different gear than I did," Sharapova said.

It is her earliest defeat at Roland Garros since 2010, when she lost in the third round. Since then, the Russian won the clay-court grand slam tournament in 2012 and 2014, was the runner-up to Serena Williams in 2013, and reached the semi-finals in 2011.

Safarova dictated much of the action and held her nerve as the far more experienced and accomplished Sharapova tried to mount a comeback.

Maria Sharapova completed a career grand slam in Paris last year. Photo: EPA

"Maria is an amazing player. I needed to play aggressive and to come forward for the points," Safarova said.

The left-handed Safarova wound up with a considerable edge in winners, 34-20, including forehands on the last two points.

"I felt like I had small openings, and I just wasn't able to ... play a good few points. I just wasn't able to keep that level up today," Sharapova said.