And for the third match in a row, almost as though this was the plan all along, Williams righted herself to pull out a victory.In a riveting, two-hour showdown between the last two American women in the draw, the No. 1-ranked and No. 1-seeded Williams was a game away from defeat Monday, then came back to beat Sloane Stephens 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Williams reached the quarterfinals and avoided joining defending champion Maria Sharapova on the way out of Roland Garros.
"It's not how you start, I guess. It's how you finish," Williams said. "That's kind of how I'm looking at it."
Close as it was, thanks in large part to Williams' 43 unforced errors, more than twice as many as Stephens' 21, the eventual outcome seemed certain once Williams pulled even by taking the second set.
That's because she is 10-0 in three-setters this season.
Williams is 29-1 overall in 2015 and owns an 18-match Grand Slam winning streak, including championships at the U.S. Open and Australian Open that gave her 19 major singles trophies.
The 1999 U.S. Open, when she collected her first major title, is the only other time Williams came back to win three straight matches after losing the first set, according to the WTA.
"There's a reason," said Stephens, defeated in the French Open's fourth round for the fourth consecutive year, "why she's the No. 1 player in the world."
Either Williams, in 2013, or Sharapova, in 2012 and 2014, has won the French Open the past three years. Only Williams has a chance to do it again on Saturday because the second-seeded Sharapova was outplayed throughout a 7-6 (3), 6-4 loss to 13th-seeded Lucie Safarova.
"My opponent had a different gear than I did," Sharapova said after her earliest exit at Roland Garros since 2010.
Sharapova did not use the cold she's been dealing with as an excuse, saying: "I don't like to talk about it, and I don't think it really makes a difference."
In her first French Open quarterfinal, Safarova will face No. 21 Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who beat No. 28 Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-3, 6-4.
On a day full of tennis' biggest names, the Big 4 of the men's game — Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray — all won. The top-seeded Djokovic and nine-time French Open champion Nadal will play in the quarterfinals Wednesday, a rematch of last year's final.
Nadal eliminated the last U.S. man, Jack Sock, 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, while Djokovic had no trouble in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 win over Richard Gasquet.
Federer needed about an hour to finish his 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Gael Monfils in a match suspended because of darkness after the second set Sunday. Federer next faces Swiss Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka, and Murray will play 2013 French Open runner-up David Ferrer.
Williams' quarterfinal opponent is 2012 runner-up Sara Errani, a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Julia Goerges.
The winner of Williams-Errani will go up against someone making her Grand Slam semifinal debut, because it'll either be 23rd-seeded Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland — who surprised two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 — or 100th-ranked Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium.
The 40th-ranked Stephens, who is 22, knew she could compete with the 33-year-old Williams, having defeated her in the 2013 Australian Open quarterfinals.
Before taking the court Monday, Stephens shared a moment in the hallway with her coach, Nick Saviano. They bumped fists, and he patted her on the right shoulder.
When play began, Stephens won the first two games without the benefit of a single winner. Williams kept right on missing, much as she did early against 105th-ranked Anna-Lena Friedsam in the second round and former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the third.
"I feel like I'm living on the edge," Williams said. "But, you know, I've got to get off the edge."
After one forehand landed in the net, she looked down at the ground and said, "Oh, no." After another did the same, she let out an "Aaaaah!" of despair. A later miscue prompted Williams to twirl her racket overhead, as if to mock her poor swing.
Stephens led 5-4 in the second set, a game from victory. From there, Williams won nine of the final 12 games.
"I don't really like to live like this," Williams said. "Believe me, I'm thinking, 'OK, Serena, pull yourself together.'"
French Open lookahead: Federer faces Wawrinka in Paris
PARIS, June 2: Swiss fans can rub their hands in delight: They're guaranteed to have a man in the semifinals at Roland Garros.
It will be either Roger Federer or Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka, who are facing off in the French Open's quarterfinals Tuesday.
"It (will be) a special match," said Federer, the 2009 champion. "It is not a traditional match. There aren't too many Swiss players in the draw. It's always special to play each other."
It's been a good French Open for Swiss tennis so far, with 23rd-seeded Timea Bacsinszky also reaching the quarterfinals in the women's draw.
Federer and Wawrinka will be facing each other for the 19th time, with the 17-time Grand Slam winner having won 16 of their previous meetings. Federer has won all four of their matches at Grand Slam tournaments.
However, Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian champion, has solid credentials on clay. His two wins over Federer came on the slow surface, most recently in the Monte Carlo Masters final last year.
Here's a look at what else is happening at the French Open on Tuesday:
NISHIKORI'S HISTORIC MARCH
Playing in his first quarterfinal at the French Open, fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori is trying to emulate Jiro Satoh, the only Japanese man to reach the tournament's last four, all the way back in 1931 and 1933. Nishikori's opponent is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who made it to the semifinals in Paris two years ago. The last French man to win the trophy at Roland Garros was Yannick Noah, 32 years ago.
TSONGA'S CLAY CONCERNS
Bad news for Tsonga: Nishikori has won his past seven matches against French players in Grand Slam tournaments. Also, Nishikori has beaten Tsonga four of the previous five times they've played. And given Nishikori's current form, the fact that they never met on clay before is not even reassuring.
"He had very good results on clay. He won tournaments (on clay), which I didn't. Not even one time," Tsonga said. "He is a good player on clay. He is able to play on every surface."
IVANOVIC LOOKING TO EXTEND RENAISSANCE
Seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 champion, will open play on center court against Elina Svitolina. Ivanovic is looking to return to her first semifinal at a major since her only Grand Slam title.
"That would be amazing, obviously," said Ivanovic, who is unbeaten is six matches against the 19th-seeded Ukrainian. "The exciting part that I feel is that I can still improve."
FIRST MEETING
Back on court a day after eliminating defending champion Maria Sharapova, 13th-seeded Lucie Safarova is up against Spanish rising star Garbine Muguruza in the other quarterfinal on the schedule.
Safarova and Muguruza have never met.
"Safarova plays so well at such a high level that she is impressive," said Muguruza, who played on Monday, too. "It's going to be a tough match."
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