In women's play, Kim Clijsters picked up where she left off four years ago as the 2005 titleholder repeated history Sunday with a fourth-round defeat of Venus Williams as women's upsets continued to mount.

The Belgian, who left tennis 27 months ago but returned with a daughter and a revitalized will to win, stunned two-time champion and third-seeded Williams in a momentum-shifting struggle 6-0, 0-6, 6-4.

Williams went onto the week-one scrapheap along with top seed Dinara Safina, defeated Friday by Czech Petra Kvitova; number four Elena Dementieva; and fifth seed Jelena Jankovic.

Clijsters beat Williams four years ago at Flushing Meadows in the quarter-finals on the way to her only Grand Slam title. In 2001, Williams did the same at the identical stage.

The 26-year-old Belgian, her toddler daughter Jade in the player creche but her US basketballer husband in the stands, reached the last eight in one and three-quarters hours in only her third event back on court.

'It was unbelievable,' said Clijsters, the lone women's qualifier to get this far at the event since that stat was first kept 22 years ago. 'It was such a weird match.

'When I lost the second set, I just told myself to start it all over again and fight for each point. I've worked really hard the last seven or eight months. I'm enjoying it and can balance us, both the family and the game.'

Clijsters next faces China's Li Na, who put out Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-3.

Second seed Serena Williams earlier saved family honour as she crushed Slovak Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-0.