Alexander Zverev said he was "s******* my pants" as he attempted to stave off a fightback from Carlos Alcaraz in his French Open quarter-final win on Tuesday.
Zverev claimed an impressive 6-4 6-4 4-6 7-6 (9-7) win over the 19-year-old Spaniard to set up a semi-final with either Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.
The German initially appeared dominant as his controlled and composed display saw him take a two-set lead, and although Alcaraz did improve in the third, Zverev even had the opportunity to serve out the match for a straight-sets win.
He failed to grasp that chance and Alcaraz looked likely to level the match as he began to exert greater control in rallies – his dropshots proving especially threatening.
But Zverev clung on even as the crowd vociferously backed his opponent in the fourth-set tie-break, eventually seizing his opportunity when he felt Alcaraz was potentially taking charge of the match.
Asked about his emotions in a fourth set that was something of a rollercoaster, he said: "[I was] s******* my pants as well."
The rather crude joke received a flat response from a Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd that never particularly got behind Zverev.
However, he soon waxed lyrical about his popular opponent, who was the first top-10 scalp of Zverev's career at a grand slam.
"At the end of the day, I knew I had to play my absolute best tennis from the start, and I'm happy I did that," Zverev continued.
"He kept on coming back, he's an incredible player. I told him at the net that he's going to win this tournament a lot of times, not only once.
"So I hope I can win it before he starts beating us all and we'll have no chance at all."
Zverev suggested his dip after the second set was contributed to by the changing conditions, having thrived in the sun and then seen his level drop when in the shade.
But he could not hide his joy at avoiding a fifth set.
"For me, when it's shady and slower it's not perfect for me," he said. "I didn't get broken once when it was sunny, the ball was a lot faster, I had to adjust my strings as well.
"The match was turning his way, so at the end of the day I'm extremely happy I won the tie-break and I didn't have to play a five-set match, didn't have to be disappointed after the five-set match again like I was last year.
"I'm still in the tournament – usually I'm a very good talker, but right now I can't talk. I'm speechless."
Osaka eliminated by Samsonova in Madrid
Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the Madrid Open by Liudmila Samsonova after an entertaining second-round battle on Thursday.
Having won her first match on clay for two years against Greet Minnen a day earlier, Osaka was able to force a final set against 15th seed Samsonova but ultimately fell to defeat.
Samsonova won a close encounter 6-2 4-6 7-5 to book a clash with American Madison Keys – who defeated Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets – in the next round.
Osaka had beaten Samsonova at Indian Wells last month and came close to securing another victory as she recovered well from losing the opening set.
But the Japanese star was broken to fall 5-6 behind in the final set, and the Russian made no mistake in ruthlessly closing out the victory.
Data Debrief: Samsonova ends losing streak
This was a crucial win for Samsonova, who came into the match having lost four consecutive contests, including that Indian Wells defeat to Osaka on March 9.
Samsonova did apply plenty of pressure in the final set – forcing five break points compared to just one for Osaka – and was ultimately rewarded in the closing stages of a contest that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
Azarenka makes history with 200th WTA 1000 win
Victoria Azarenka made light work of progressing into the round of 32 at the Madrid Open and she made history in the progress.
Azarenka, a two-time finalist in Madrid, despatched Tatjana Maria 6-3 6-1 on Thursday.
It brought up her 200th victory at WTA 1000 events, which makes her the first woman to hit that milestone since the format was introduced in 2009.
The former world number one needed just 81 minutes on court to get the job done, and will face Sara Sorribes Tormo in the next round.
Data Debrief
This was Azarenka's first meeting with Maria, and her service game was excellent, with the Belarusian winning 63.2 per cent of her first-serve points. She also saved five break points, having offered up seven, and converted six going the other way.
Azarenka, who has won 10 WTA 1000 events, is 14 clear of next-best Simona Halep (186) on the list of women with the most WTA 1000 match wins.
Raducanu stunned by qualifier Carle in Madrid
Maria Lourdes Carle made a splash at the Madrid Open on Wednesday, as the qualifier sent Emma Raducanu packing.
World number 82 Carle stepped into the void to fill in for Karolina Pliskova, who withdrew prior to the end of the qualifying rounds, to face 2021 US Open champion Raducanu.
It is just the second time Carle has reached the main draw of a WTA 1000 event, and she ensured it would be a memorable campaign after a 6-2 6-2 victory over Raducanu, who is now ranked at world number 221, though has enjoyed something of a return to form this season.
Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Grand Prix last week, going down to world number one Iga Swiatek, but has recently enjoyed victories over the likes of Angelique Kerber and Caroline Garcia.
Data Debrief
Carle is the first player from Argentina to defeat a former women's singles grand slam Champion since Nadia Podoroska overcame Serena Williams in Rome in 2021.
The 24-year-old is making just her sixth WTA main draw appearance, with her first WTA 1000 appearance having come in Miami in March.
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