The sixth-seeded Chakvetadze never had been as far as a major quarterfinal until this year, when she lost at that stage at the Australian Open and French Open. But from 4-4 in the first set, the Russian took control against the No. 18 Peer, the first woman from Israel to play in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

"I just started to play more aggressive," Chakvetadze said.

Simple as that.

"That's why Anna is a top-10 player — she's playing really good tennis the last few months," Peer said, "and I think it's just a matter of time (until) I will get there."

Chakvetadze next faces 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova or unseeded Agnes Szavay, who play their quarterfinal later today.

The last women's quarterfinal was scheduled for tonight, with two-time Open champ Venus Williams playing No. 3-seeded Jelena Jankovic. That was to be followed by No. 1 Roger Federer against No. 5 Andy Roddick in a quarterfinal that's a rematch of last year's Open final.

The complexion of both of those night matches changed a bit when the tournament took a sharp twist last night — and in the wee hours Wednesday.

Scrap that Venus vs. Serena matchup. Cancel that Rafa vs. Roger rematch, too.

First, Serena Williams departed, losing to top-seeded Justine Henin for the third straight time in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Henin made it look easy at the end in a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory.

"I got to go back and study and figure out how to beat her. That's it. Bottom line," Williams said.

Henin had a rooting interest in Williams-Jankovic: She's 1-7 against Venus, 7-0 against Jankovic.

"Every match is a final for me now," Henin said. "If I have to play Venus, it will be a good challenge for me to play both sisters in the same tournament."

A lot of tennis fans were looking forward to seeing Federer meet Rafael Nadal in a third straight Grand Slam final. Won't happen now: 15th-seeded David Ferrer upset the second-seeded Nadal 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in a fourth-round match that ended at 1:50 a.m. this morning.

"Sure there is disappointment for me, but that is tennis," Nadal said.

The lower deck at Arthur Ashe Stadium was mostly filled when Nadal's shot sailed long at 1:50 a.m. It came close to the latest ending at the U.S. Open — back in 1993, Mats Wilander finished off Mikael Pernfors at 2:26 a.m.

Earlier yesterday, No. 3 Novak Djokovic reached the Open quarterfinals for the first time by beating No. 23 Juan Monaco 7-5, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (6), 6-1.

After his win, Djokovic talked about the Nadal-Federer history.

"Tennis needs this rivalry," he said. "But on the other hand, the people are not paying attention to the other players. I'm one of those players in that smaller group behind, which is trying to break that — break it through and make this group of two a little bit bigger."

Monaco was serving in the third-set tiebreaker when a yellow ball he'd put away in case of a fault slipped out of his pocket. It was the second time in the match that happened, and he immediately stopped playing and yelped.

"I went nuts! I was cursing at me. I was yelling at my pants," Monaco said. "Right away I knew I lost that point. It's very weird."

At 20, Djokovic is the youngest player left in the men's draw. He'll next face the oldest man remaining, 31-year-old Carlos Moya.

The 17th-seeded Moya defeated Ernests Gulbis 7-5, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-4, closing the match by winning a net duel with a backhand, cross-court volley.

"Still beating these young guys," Moya said. "I feel, like, 20 years old."

Nadal, who is 20, winced and dropped to the court late in his match, a rare scene that happened right in front of his family's box.

Nadal came into the tournament with bad knees, and the left-hander needed ice for his racket hand late in the match.

"I prefer not to speak about my body right now," Nadal said, adding it wound sound like an excuse.

Nadal and Federer split the previous two Slams; Nadal beat him in the French Open final, Federer broke back at Wimbledon.

"Tonight," Ferrer said, "all was perfect."

Well, almost.

Early in the match, Ferrer was bothered by the overhead video screens at both ends, which sometimes show live shots during play. He complained to the chair umpire, who had tournament referee Brian Earley come out to discuss it.

"It's unbelievable," Ferrer told Earley. "It's impossible to focus."

Earley said the screens would stay on.

Henin sent a sullen Williams out of the tournament. As Williams waited for a courtesy car at the player exit, her mom gave a quick hug.