PARIS (AFP) - Russia's Dinara Safina mounted an astonishing comeback from a set and 2-5 down to send top seed Maria Sharapova crashing out of the French Open in an epic fourth round battle on Monday.

Safina, the 13th seed, triumphed 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, saving a match point along the way, in a tie which lasted almost three hours and will now meet fellow Russian Elena Dementieva for a place in the semi-finals.

The victory echoed Safina's three-set win over Sharapova at the same stage in 2006 when she recovered from 1-5 down in the final set and it came in the most dramatic of circumstances.

She wasted two set points in the opening tie-break, battled from 2-5 in the second set, saving a match point in the ninth game, before then recovering from 2/5 down in the second set tie-break.

Monday's famous victory was also Safina's third win in six career meetings against her fellow Russian and postponed, at least for another year, Sharapova's dreams of winning the only Grand Slam title to have eluded her.

"I had many opportunities but I guess it was a combination of not taking those chances and being a little unlucky at times," said Sharapova.

"Physically you have to stick with her. She's had great success on clay and is a really tough opponent on this surface. It went in the wrong direction really fast. It was just one of those days."

But Sharapova believes she is close to modifying her game to the Roland Garros claycourts.

"It's a thin line between winning and losing. This stuff isn't easy but I want to do everything perfectly."

Safina demonstrated her claycourt credentials in May when she won the lucrative Berlin tournament, beating Justine Henin, to send the former world number one into retirement, Serena Williams and then Dementieva in the final.

"After my title this season in Berlin, this was one of my best matches and one of my best comebacks," said Safina, a quarter-finalist in 2006.

"I knew I could beat her but I put too much pressure on myself and was way too passive. I was too dependent on her and I was 2-5 down in the second set and facing a match point.

"But I hit a winner on her match point and it changed things. Before I was just running and playing the ball back. But I had to focus on myself and not wait for her mistakes and let her dictate.

"Maybe she went a little down but I went for it and for my shots."

Sharapova broke to lead 4-3 in the first set when a Safina double fault, topped off by a crunching crosscourt backhand, put the top seed in charge.

However, Safina hit back in the eighth game to level the tie on a damp, humid Suzanne Lenglen Court.

Safina then squandered two set points in the tie-break when she led 6/4, and Sharapova made her pay by claiming the next four points to take the opener.

Safina carved out a break in the first game of the second set before heavy rain forced the players off court for 90 minutes.

When they returned, Safina held to lead 2-0, but Sharapova then ran away with the next five games to lead 5-2 before her 22-year-old opponent mounted her recovery.

Safina saved a match point in the ninth game before pulling level at 5-5.

There was another dramatic twist in the tie-break where the battling Safina came back from 2/5 down to claim the next five points and level the match when a Sharapova approach took a net cord and went out.

After breaking each other in the opening two games of the decider, Safina held her nerve on a fourth break point in the sixth game to lead 4-2 and backed it up to go 5-2.

A shellshocked Sharapova saved a match point in the next game but then handed Safina a famous win when she hit a dispirited forehand long.