Sevastova ousts Sharapova;Venus, Kvitova advance

New York: Maria Sharapova's Grand Slam return after a 15-month doping ban ended on Sunday with a fourth-round defeat at the US Open but the former world number one considered it a major step in her comeback. Latvian 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova rallied to eliminate the five-time

Grand Slam champion 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, booking a quarter-final against American Sloane Stephens, who ousted Germany's Julia Goerges 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Tuesday's other quarter-final will match Czech 13th seed Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, against US ninth seed Venus Williams, seeking her eighth Slam title and third US Open crown.

Sharapova, the 2006 US Open winner, was able to find the positives after making 51 unforced errors to only 14 by Sevastova, whose 21 winners were half the 30-year-old Russian's total.

Kvitova eliminated Spanish third seed and two-time Slam winner Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 while Williams beat 35th-ranked Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Sharapova had ousted second-ranked Simona Halep in the first round . "She played unbelievable throughout the first and second set and I just kept fighting, running for every ball," Sevastova said.Sharapova is expected to jump from 146th to around 100th in the world rankings.

Williams is the oldest woman entered at 37 but was this year's Wimbledon and Australian Open runner-up. She hasn't reached three Slam finals in a year since 2002.

Muguruza still leads the fight for world number one after the Open but will be overtaken if fourth seed Elina Svitolina makes the semi-finals or top seed Karolina Pliskova reaches the final. Stephens missed 11 months with a foot injury and returned only at Wimbledon.

In a men's draw assured of producing a first-time Slam finalist, Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta meets Argentine 29th seed Diego Schwartzman in the last-eight.

South African 28th seed Kevin Anderson meets German 23rd seed Mischa Zverev or US 17th seed Sam Querrey.Anderson beat Italy's Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4.

Carreno Busta ended Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Denis Shapovalov's dream run 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3).
Shapovalov would have been the youngest Slam quarter-finalist since Michael Chang at the 1990 French Open and youngest at the US Open since Andre Agassi in 1988.

Schwartzman eliminated French 16th seed Lucas Pouille 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. A t 5ft 7ins (1.70m), he is the shortest Grand Slam quarter-finalist since Peruvian Jaime Yzaga at the 1994 US Open.