Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova was stunned when people told her that Roger Federer, the top-ranked ATP player and ten-time Grand Slam champion, thinks that she will be the one to win Roland Garros.

Kuznetsova logged on to the Internet to check whether that’s true. When she saw Federer’s words: "I like her game, she plays well," she couldn’t believe it and had to pinch herself.

"The Russian press told me and I thought 'No, it was a joke'. So I wanted to check it myself and read this on the Internet," Kuznetsova said after reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

"If I would have to choose a compliment from anybody, it's definitely the best I ever heard. Roger is a legend and to hear him say that is almost a dream.

"It's unbelievable to hear my hero say this about my tennis."

Kuznetsova, a runner-up in the 2006 French Open, is eager to play the best she can, and live up to Federer’s expectations by winning the title on Saturday.

"If he likes my game, I would like to prove it more," she said.

In the quarterfinal she will play the rising Serb Ana Ivanovic. In their head-to-heads Ivanovic leads 2-1. On hard courts they are tied, but Ivanovic leads 1-0 on clay. (source: Reuters)

The top-ranked ATP player Roger Federer, when asked to name who he thought would win the French Open, shot back an answer almost as quickly as one of his forehands.

"Kuznetsova," he said. "I like her game. She plays well."

Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded third, beat Ekaterina Bychkova in the opening round, then Meghann Shaughnessy in the second, and lastly Dominika Cibulkova to advance to the round four where she will play fifteenth seed Shahar Peer of Israel.

The 21-year-old Russian — a U.S. Open champion in 2004 — reached the final last year, losing to Justine Henin. (source: International Herald Tribune)

France’s Amelie Mauresmo, who won many titles in her career, including two Grand Slams, has never gone beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. Even though she was in front of the home crowd, Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic beat her 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in the third round.

After this victory, Safarova leads in their head-to-heads 2-0. The first time she ousted Mauresmo, the former world number one and currently the world No. 4, was in the fourth round of the 2007 Australian Open.

"Beating her in Australia was nice already but this is fantastic," Safarova said. "I was 3-0 down but I never gave up and I won in straight sets. That's great." (via Reuters)

On her 25th birthday, top seeded Justine Henin beat Italy’s Mara Santangelo 6-2 6-3 to advance to the fourth round of Roland Garros. The Belgian got one step closer to defending her title by winning the match on her favorite court – Philippe Chatrier. She calls it "my garden."

Justine’s next opponent is Sybille Bammer of Austria, who defeated China's Na Li 6-4 6-3 in the third round.

Henin and Bammer have met only once. They played on clay, in 2006, at the Family Circle Cup second round. Henin defeated Bammer 6-2 6-3.

Certain things Maria and Serena said during the French Open were chosen by BBC as quotes of the day. I find them interesting, so I’ll share them with you.

Maria wasn’t competing for quite some time because of hamstring and shoulder injuries, so she had a chance to discover the joys of ordinary life. Here’s what Maria has learnt during her spare time: "I got to go to the grocery store and I had to cook my own breakfast and my lunch. The first time I went to the store, I was absolutely lost. Now I've got it under control. I know where the vegetables are, where my favorite cheese is, I've got it all going." What an experience she had!

And here’s how the world number 2 and second seed at Roland Garros commented her clay-court form: "I feel terrible. I feel like a cow on ice." Hahaha, illustrative comparison!

As for Serena, she was happy to hear that she was an idol to her next opponent Michaella Krajicek, and said: "That's awesome. That's so sweet. I know the feeling because I loved Monica Seles, so whenever I got a chance to play her, I was just still really excited. It's just kind of strange to be in the opposite position."

After being told the Australian Open plans to put new surface Serena commented: "To be honest with you, I grew up in the hood, and any court is a good court to me." Cool statement.

Serena also explained how she picks her hitting partners: "If you can beat me, you can hit with me." It makes sense, but for sure eliminates a lot of players.