Iga Swiatek is the only top-10 player remaining in the women's singles draw at the French Open after Maria Sakkari beat Sofia Kenin in straight sets.
Sakkari moved into the quarter-finals of a grand slam for the first time with an emphatic 6-1 6-3 defeat of last year's runner-up Kenin on Monday.
Greek 17th seed Sakkari will face either defending champion Swiatek or Marta Kostyuk in the last eight at Roland Garros.
The 25-year-old is the first Greek woman to reach a grand slam quarter-final in the Open Era.
World number four Kenin made 32 unforced errors and racked up nine double faults in a one-sided contest on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Sakkari broke the 2020 Australian Open champion, beaten by Swiatek in the 2020 final, six times and lost just four points on her first serve to march into the last eight.
Coco Gauff, 17, earlier became the youngest grand slam quarter-finalist for 15 years by beating Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-1, while Barbora Krejcikova thrashed Sloane Stephens 6-2 6-0 in Paris.
Novak Djokovic came from two sets down against Lorenzo Musetti on Monday to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open for a record 12th consecutive year after his opponent retired in the fifth set.
The world number one went into the contest with the 19-year-old having not dropped a set at these championships but found himself in big trouble after a gruelling first couple of hours.
It felt like a different match entirely after that, as Djokovic won 16 of the final 17 games before Musetti retired with the scores at 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 6-0 4-0 in the 2016 champion's favour.
The Serbian seemed unsettled by Musetti's unpredictable early approach, the teenager mixing up forehand speeds and backhand passes to good effect after an early exchange of breaks.
It looked like Djokovic had control of the opening tie-break only for Musetti to win five out of six points to lead 6-5. Two rasping forehands soon secured the set after a Djokovic error.
Belief in a shock upset really did begin to grow when Musetti took a 3-1 lead in the second set, at which point Djokovic literally took his hat off to his opponent. Whether it was psychological or his cap really was a bother, a bare-headed Djokovic promptly broke back to love.
Djokovic's error count dropped from 20 in the first set to 15 in the second, but the momentum still seemed to be with the Italian, who continued to paint the lines from both sides of the court even when it seemed impossible: early in the second tie-break, a reflex lob from the net somehow bounced on the baseline as his opponent watched in disbelief.
Deserved as his lead was, there was still a feeling that, should Musetti's standards slip even a touch, the door to the comeback would be open. Djokovic seemed to sense as much, returning from a bathroom break to power his way through the third set in just 28 minutes, less than half the time of each of the first two.
Suddenly, doubt crept into Musetti's play as Djokovic began to dictate. He won 16 points in a row to take a 4-0 lead in the fourth and broke again with the sort of drop-shot winner that Musetti had anticipated with ease in the opening two hours.
Djokovic was troubled by his lower back before the fifth set and needed treatment to his hand after somehow winning the first point on the Musetti serve despite falling heavily in the dirt.
Yet it was Musetti whose body could simply no longer keep up, his retirement ensuring Djokovic will now face Matteo Berrettini in the last eight.
Data Slam: Djokovic kept his cool as Musetti froze
Djokovic is rarely shy about showing his emotions on court, so it was interesting to see not a single outburst even after he fell 2-0 down.
Each player had won 85 points in those first two sets and Djokovic seemed to know this was no one-sided affair. When he moved up a gear and Musetti started to falter in mind and body, it was a totally different contest, Musetti winning just 18 points in the final 17 games.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 53/42
Musetti – 30/49
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 11/2
Musetti – 1/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 9/9
Musetti – 2/4
A new generation of NBA superstars established themselves as the playoffs continued last week.
The first round concluded as a talented, young (with the exception of Chris Paul) Phoenix Suns team defeated LeBron James and defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Atlanta Hawks quickly gained an upper hand against the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, too.
And although Kawhi Leonard led the Los Angeles Clippers through to round two, they also suffered at the hand of an emerging talent, as Stats Perform's NBA Heat Check shows.
RUNNING HOT...
Devin Booker
Booker was dominant across the board for the Suns, earning praise from James after getting the better of the reigning NBA Finals MVP.
When comparing last week's performances with regular season returns, Booker ranked third for scoring improvement, second for rebounding improvement and second for three-point makes improvement. This was a staggering show of strength.
Playing in his sixth year, it is easy to forget this was a debut postseason series for Booker, who finished with 47 points at Staples Center and will back himself to deliver again against the Denver Nuggets.
Trae Young
The biggest potential upset of the second round is already under way after the Hawks took Game 1 against the 76ers in Philly despite Joel Embiid's return to fitness.
Young – another playoff debutant – was predictably at the centre of their success, following up 36 points in Game 5 against the New York Knicks with 35 in this opener.
He had 25 in the first half on Sunday on eight-of-13 shooting as Atlanta scored 74, the most ever by a road team in a Game 1. Considering the way the Sixers battled back to make the encounter close, Young might have to be similarly outstanding again in the forthcoming meetings.
Luka Doncic
Young was traded to the Hawks as part of the deal that saw Doncic go the other way to the Dallas Mavericks on draft night in 2018. But the Slovenian will play no further part in the playoffs after Sunday's Game 7 defeat to the Clippers.
Doncic has undoubtedly proven his class in the postseason, though, even if he is yet to win a series. Already one of the league's outstanding offensive stars, his career playoff average of 33.5 points per game is the best of any player to appear in 13 or more games – surpassing Michael Jordan's 33.4.
The Mavs ace reached that mark thanks to an outstanding week that included two 40-point performances despite Dallas' eventual series defeat.
Doncic's performances through 13 career playoff games are a match for the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Only Rick Barry, Bob McAdoo and Jordan have topped his 436 total points at this stage since 1963-64. He was certainly not to blame on Sunday...
GOING COLD...
Kristaps Porzingis
Expensive team-mate Porzingis may well have to take some responsibility for the Mavs' failings, although he was not alone. Among the players with the largest declines in scoring over the past week from their regular season outputs, three Dallas players were in the top seven.
Josh Richardson and Jalen Brunson were also in there, but Porzingis' presence should be of the most concern.
Although the big man put up 16 points and 11 rebounds – his second-most in a postseason game – on Sunday, his failure to make a single one of his five three-point attempts left Doncic short of help.
Enes Kanter
Doncic was not the only superstar left high and dry as he exited the first round. Damian Lillard did all he could to try to carry the Portland Trail Blazers past the Nuggets last week, averaging 41.5 points, but could not advance alone.
CJ McCollum underwhelmed, despite contributing 20.7 points across the series, yet it was the absence of effective defense that meant Nikola Jokic was always able to match Lillard.
Jusuf Nurkic had a combined plus/minus of 45 but fouled out of three of the six games, meaning poor Kanter had to guard Jokic on occasion and ended the series with a -34 plus/minus across only 56 minutes.
Coco Gauff acknowledges she is playing her best ever tennis at a grand slam tournament but is not yet thinking about winning the French Open.
The 17-year-old reached her first major quarter-final by brilliantly beating Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-1 in the fourth round on Monday.
Gauff said afterwards she was "definitely still learning" how to play on clay, but her progress on the biggest stage is evident – to herself and others.
"Yeah, it definitely does feel different," she said. "I just feel like it's been, I guess, professional.
"I feel like all my matches have been pretty straightforward wins, like no crazy three sets and stuff. As we know, I have had a lot of those in the past.
"I just feel like this has been the most consistent tennis I have played at this level. Hopefully I can keep that going."
Gauff had previously reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon but lost on both occasions.
"I think I was just more hungry for it," she said this time.
"I feel like in the past I felt like I was satisfied with the run I made in the tournament, so maybe I feel like I came into the matches not as hungry. I know it's probably not a good thing to say but it's the truth.
"But I think, with a lot of young players, we tend to get satisfied with certain results before we realise that we can really shoot for more.
"You know, my message has always been 'dream big and aim higher'.
"I think that today was honestly coming from that message of aiming higher, because I could have easily said I'm satisfied with the fourth round and everything.
"Today I think I just came in more hungry and wanting more compared to my last times I have been in the fourth round."
The American sensation is now just three wins away from a remarkable first grand slam triumph, but she is not getting ahead of herself.
Gauff refused to be distracted even from an ongoing UNO tournament with her parents in their hotel room, in which she says she leads the way with 16 wins.
"To be honest, I haven't really thought about [the championship]," she said. "I'm really just focused on the match ahead of me.
"I don't want to think too far. You have to focus on what's in front of you. That's really the only answer I have.
"Right now, I'm focused on going to sleep tonight and winning the next UNO match and then tomorrow we focus back on practice and then get ready for the quarter-finals."
Gauff became the youngest major quarter-finalist since 2006 with her win.
"I don't really care if you guys talk about my age or not," she said. "I'm 17. That's the truth. If you guys want to talk about it, it's fine.
"I mean, on the court, I promise you my opponents probably don't care about how old I am. They want to beat me just as bad regardless of my age, and I want to beat them just as bad regardless of their age.
"I don't mind if you guys talk about my age. It's a fact to me and it's going to change every year.
"I'm only going to be 17 once, so you might as well talk about it while I'm 17."
It is already only a matter of time before Coco Gauff becomes a major champion, according to beaten French Open opponent Ons Jabeur.
Gauff raced into the last eight at Roland Garros with a ruthless 6-3 6-1 victory over Jabeur on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Monday.
In doing so, the 17-year-old become the youngest female quarter-finalist at a grand slam in 15 years.
Gauff had previously reached the fourth round at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon and won in Paris as a junior.
After a pair of WTA Tour career titles, the next step is to triumph on the biggest stage.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek was still to play on Monday, but Jabeur considers Gauff a good match for the 20-year-old.
"She's playing really good, I've got to say," Jabeur said. "But you never know. Iga is playing really well. It's going to be an interesting matchup if they're going to meet in the semi-final.
"Honestly, if she's not going to win it now, she's probably going to win another time."
Speaking on court, Gauff said: "I'm super happy that I was able to reach my first quarter-final. I played really well today, so I'm happy about that.
"Parma [the Emilia-Romagna Open, won last month] gave me a lot of confidence, especially on the clay.
"It's my first title on clay, so coming here it gave me a lot of confidence and taught me a lot [about] how to close matches and deal with the pressure on important points."
Barbora Krejcikova is up next, having beaten Sloane Stephens, and post-match questions unsurprisingly focused on the quarter-final.
Krejcikova said Gauff "is going to be the next star" and added: "She's young. She's incredible. She's doing really well. She has the weapons. She has the game. I think she's mentally really tough."
The Czech, a 6-2 6-0 winner, said: "I don't know how I would approach this if I was 17 and I was actually doing this well.
"I think it would be just too much pressure, I think it would be just too much pressure for me and maybe I won't be able to handle this. Everybody is different. Everybody is doing a different thing. She's doing really good."
A dejected Max Verstappen declared that "sometimes you can hate this sport" after a late crash cost him victory in a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Verstappen looked destined to take the top step of the podium in Baku until he suffered a tyre blowout when he was leading with five laps to go.
The Red Bull driver booted his car after smashing into a wall, having missed the opportunity to extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the battle for the Formula One title.
Verstappen was able to retain his four-point advantage over Hamilton after the seven-time world champion locked up his tyres and ran into an escape road when the street circuit race restarted for a two-lap sprint.
Sergio Perez celebrated his first victory for Red Bull ahead of Sebastian Vettel, with Hamilton crossing the line in 15th place after being second on the grid when the race got under way again.
Verstappen was left to reflect on what might have been, but the Dutchman said he would not dwell on the cruel setback.
He said: "Frustrating and very disappointing so close to the finish to retire with a tyre blowout.
"It's a big shame. Sometimes you can hate this sport - for a few hours, then I'll be fine again.
"Honestly up until that point it was a great day – the car was on fire, I was just matching whatever I needed to do behind me, I was quite comfortably in the lead. It would have, let's say, have been an easy win. But, of course, there are no guarantees in the sport."
Verstappen added: "It's a shame because we missed out on the opportunity to make the gap bigger [in the championship] because we know when we get to normal tracks Mercedes normally are very strong. So it's a bit of a shame not to open the gap a bit more.
"Of course then at the end we got a bit lucky with Lewis going straight at Turn 1, so we are still leading the world championship, but it's not the way we wanted it to be.
"I wanted to really open up that gap today and win that race because it would have been great for the team."
Reggie Jackson paid tribute to Kawhi Leonard for instigating the Los Angeles Clippers' crucial Game 7 win over the Dallas Mavericks to secure progression to the NBA Western Conference semi-finals.
The Clippers were 126-111 victors on Sunday as they finally got the job done in the last game of the series, going some way to exorcising their 2020 demons.
Last year, the Clippers missed out on a spot in the Western Conference finals as they blew a 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets, who eventually saw them off 104-89 in Game 7 in September.
The Nuggets became the first NBA team to overcome a 3-1 deficit twice in the same playoffs and had been used as a stick to beat the Clippers with practically ever since.
While the Mavs put the Clippers under pressure, with Luka Doncic setting a new Game 7 record for 77 points scored or assisted, it was not enough as two-time Finals MVP Leonard played a starring role.
Although he did not match 22-year-old Doncic's stunning 46-point haul – which made him the youngest player in NBA history to average 35 points each game in a playoff series – Leonard only just missed out on a triple-double, recording 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Almost half (13) of those points came in an emphatic opening quarter, which Jackson felt was vital in setting the tone.
"I think it all started with Kawhi," Jackson said. "Kawhi came in with a mentality that he was going to take this game today.
"He was going to come in and lead and wasn't going to be shy about his play at all. He really got it going early and once he got it going early, guys had to load up and defenses had to change their coverages."
As for the Clippers moving past the disappointment of 2020, coach Ty Lue seemed relieved to look past it.
"Last year was last year," Lue said. "We talked about it when the season started, that's over and we've got to look going forward.
"We can't keep looking behind and what happened in the bubble. That s***'s over."
On the other side of the coin, much like Leonard in last year's semi-finals, Doncic's brilliance came to nothing in the end.
The Slovenian was the star of the series, with numerous Clippers applauding his performances after Game 7, but he cut a dejected figure and feels he has not proven anything about himself because he is paid to win.
Asked what he felt he had proved, Doncic said: "I mean, nothing yet. We made the playoffs twice since I've been here. We lost both times. At the end, you get paid to win. We didn't do it."
The Clippers will go on to face top seeds the Utah Jazz in the semi-finals after they eased past the Memphis Grizzlies 4-1 in the first round.
The Boston Red Sox came from behind to beat rivals the New York Yankees 6-5 for their first series sweep in the Bronx in a decade.
Boston star Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run single with two outs in the 10th inning as the Red Sox held on to defeat the Yankees in their American League (AL) East showdown on Sunday.
The Red Sox rallied behind Marwin Gonzalez's game-tying homer in the seventh inning for their first three-game sweep in the Bronx since June 2011.
"It was real nice," Bogaerts said. "We know we haven't had a lot of success [vs. the Yankees] these last couple of years, but this team is different.
"We have a lot of winning players. You could see that with Kike [Hernandez] last night [Saturday] with that big RBI. Marwin [Gonzalez], these last couple of days, he's been getting hot."
Boston (36-23) – after four consecutive wins – are now a season-high 13 games over .500, though they are still a game behind AL East leaders the Tampa Bay Rays (38-23), who blitzed the Texas Rangers 7-1.
The slumping Yankees (31-29) are fourth in the five-team AL East following four successive defeats.
La Russa second on list for most wins by MLB manager
The Chicago White Sox blanked the Detroit Tigers 3-0 and manager Tony La Russa celebrated a milestone. It was his 2,764th career victory – moving him into second place on MLB's all-time manager wins list. The 76-year-old surpassed John McGraw and now only trails Connie Mack (3,731).
Jesse Winker starred with three home runs as the Cincinnati Reds topped the St Louis Cardinals 8-7. Winker hit a tie-breaking home run in the ninth inning for his second three-homer game this season. It helped the Reds clinch their first four-game sweep of the Cardinals in 21 years.
The Baltimore Orioles had a day out, crushing the Cleveland Indians 18-5 after scoring their most runs since 2015.
Rookie Luis Garcia earned his fifth successive victory and Jose Altuve recorded a lead-off homer in the Houston Astros' 6-3 win at the Toronto Blue Jays.
Bauer outpitched in Atlanta
Trevor Bauer and the Los Angeles Dodgers were beaten 4-2 by the Atlanta Braves. Dodgers ace Bauer allowed three runs and six hits across six innings, while matching his season high of four walks – two of the batters who were walked later scored.
Tanner Rainey was tagged by the Philadelphia Phillies, who eased to a 12-6 win over the Washington Nationals. J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run drive off Rainey as the Nationals pitcher gave up two hits, three runs – all earned and a homer in just one inning.
Pujols eclipses Bonds
Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols hit his 671st career home run in a loss for World Series champions the Dodgers. With his homer, Pujols passed Barry Bonds for fourth on the all-time total base list with 5,980.
Sunday's results
Baltimore Orioles 18-5 Cleveland Indians
Miami Marlins 3-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
Philadelphia Phillies 12-6 Washington Nationals
Houston Astros 6-3 Toronto Blue Jays
Atlanta Braves 4-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago White Sox 3-0 Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins 2-1 Kansas City Royals
Cincinnati Reds 8-7 St Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 Texas Rangers
Colorado Rockies 3-1 Oakland Athletics
Chicago Cubs 4-3 San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners 9-5 Los Angeles Angels
New York Mets 6-2 San Diego Padres
Boston Red Sox 6-5 New York Yankees
Cubs at Padres
The Padres (36-25) will be out to snap their two-game skid against the Cubs (33-26) on Monday. Ryan Weathers starts for San Diego as Chicago counter with Adbert Alzolay.
Serena Williams crashed out of the French Open in the fourth round as 21st seed Elena Rybakina sealed a stunning 6-3 7-5 victory on Sunday.
Rybakina, representing Kazakhstan, had not previously been past the second round at Roland Garros but she is enjoying a strong run this fortnight and showed no nerves against her illustrious opponent, hitting a series of impressive winners that the 39-year-old Williams could not match.
After breaking back and then moving 5-4 ahead in the second set, it seemed 23-time grand slam champion Williams might take the match to a decider, but Rybakina reeled off the next three games to seal the biggest win of her career and set up a quarter-final clash against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Rybakina started in a confident mood, winning her first two service games without dropping a point.
Williams came under intense pressure on her second service game, with Rybakina breaking and opening up a 3-1 lead when the American sent a backhand long.
Williams broke back in the seventh game of the match, but she squandered the opportunity to pull level when Rybakina broke again in the next game.
A nervy Rybakina needed four set points to win the opener 6-3, sealing it in 36 minutes when Williams flashed a cross-court backhand long.
Williams found herself in more trouble at the start of the second set, Rybakina comfortably breaking to move 1-0 up, but the three-time Roland Garros champion restored parity in the next game with four consecutive winners.
Rybakina missed a golden opportunity to set up a break point in the fifth match of the second set, sending a backhand long with Williams out of position, the American surviving to serve out the game and move 3-2 up.
The 21-year-old won the next game with an ace, setting the stage for her to break Williams and move 4-3 ahead.
Williams roared back, though, winning the next two games to leave Rybakina serving to stay in the set.
Not only did she do that, but she won the next two games as well to put the seal on a memorable victory that took one hour and 19 minutes.
DATA SLAM: RYBAKINA PUNISHES SLOPPY WILLIAMS
Williams looked well off the pace against an opponent who certainly made the most of her first appearance in the fourth round of a grand slam tournament. Williams won just 59 per cent of the points from her first serve, compared to Rybakina's 69 per cent, while the Russian-born player won 86 per cent of points at the net compared to Williams' 50 per cent.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Williams – 15/19
Rybakina – 21/13
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Williams – 2/1
Rybakina – 4/4
BREAK POINTS WON
Williams – 3/5
Rybakina – 5/7
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid was cleared to start Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
Embiid has been managing a knee injury and missed the final game of the first-round series against the Washington Wizards, having bowed out after just 11 minutes in the previous encounter.
The center's return against a tricky Hawks team represents a big boost for the 76ers, though.
While Embiid has been limited to 24.0 points per game so far in the 2020-21 playoffs due to his knee complaint, he tallied 28.5 points along with 10.6 rebounds in the regular season.
The 27-year-old will be expected to improve on his 19.7 points per game across three meetings with Atlanta this year, although he was limited to 25 minutes or fewer in each clash.
Embiid was selected to start alongside Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and Danny Green, the Sixers' most-used starting five this season. They were 27-5 across 32 games.
Lewis Hamilton apologised to the Mercedes team after a "humbling experience" left the Formula One world champion outside the points at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton overcame difficulties in practice to clinch second on the grid in a red flag-laden qualifying session on Saturday, yet he finished 15th in Sunday's race.
Max Verstappen, Hamilton's championship rival, crashed with three laps remaining, and a red flag resulted in a standing start.
Hamilton, who had swiftly caught pole holder Charles Leclerc but had been delayed by Pierre Gasly in the pits, resumed the race behind Sergio Perez.
Yet the seven-time world champion, with his brakes smoking, careered off the track moments after the restart, enabling Perez to cruise to victory.
"Today was a humbling experience," Hamilton tweeted, having initially apologised to the team from his car.
"We worked so hard to put ourselves back in the top 10 today after a rocky week here in Baku. We gave it our all today and a small error caused the brakes to switch off.
"Sorry to the team, we'll come back stronger for the next race."
Mercedes' official team account echoed Hamilton's sentiment.
"This is hard to take. We worked so hard this weekend to put ourselves into the fight after a really difficult start on Friday – only to leave with nothing," the team's tweet read.
"[We] need a big reaction next time out in France."
Sunday's drama means Red Bull hold a 26-point lead in the constructors' championship, with Verstappen (105) four points ahead of Hamilton in the drivers' standings.
Fabio Quartararo was left baffled as to why his leather race suit split open as he slipped from pole position to a fourth-place finish at the Catalan Grand Prix.
MotoGP championship leader Quartararo was aiming to seal back-to-back wins in Barcelona following his triumph on the circuit in 2020, but the Monster Energy Yahama driver slipped up early on and failed to finish on the podium.
Miguel Oliveira got Red Bull KTM's first win of the season, and the third race victory of his career, with Johann Zarco and Jack Miller completing the top three.
Quartararo was second until the final three laps, when Zarco made a daring overtake and caught the Frenchman out.
To complicate matters, Quartararo's suit had opened, with the 22-year-old's chest protector also slipping out.
He cut two corners as he battled with Miller for third, and was handed a three second penalty which cost him a third straight podium position at the Catalan Grand Prix.
"What happened I don’t know, I just know that I had the leathers completely open," he explained to reporters.
"I tried to just put it in a normal position again, I couldn't do it. So was difficult to ride, but unfortunately, it happens.
"It happened today, so Alpinestars is looking at how it's possible because at the end of the race it was possible to close it again.
"But it's like this, it was not our day but I can be happy with this fourth position… well, third, but finishing fourth."
Former MotoGP champion Casey Stoner tweeted his thoughts on the incident, insisting Quartararo should have been disqualified from the race.
"Well, I think I already have a penalty that I don't agree [with], demoted three seconds from P3 to P4," Quartararo said when Stoner's comments were put to him.
"I think this penalty is quite enough. It's finished, the race is finished, everything is safe.
"So, I think right now it's not enough to talk anymore because the race is finished. I think there's no point to talk anymore about these possible things."
It was a race which belonged to Oliveira, with the Portuguese rider holding the lead for 23 laps.
"The most difficult thing about the race was the mental ability to stay calm, it was so easy to be aggressive or to just override the tires at the beginning," he said in a news conference.
"I felt like that was the key, stay calm and the race will come to me."
Elsewhere in a frantic race, six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez crashed out on Turn 10, which also claimed Valentino Rossi and Aleix Espargaro.
Marquez has now failed to finish the last three races, a career first for the 28-year-old.
Christian Horner described the "rollercoaster" of Red Bull's Azerbaijan Grand Prix success as Sergio Perez revealed he almost followed team-mate Max Verstappen out of the race.
Red Bull claimed consecutive wins for just the second time in the Hybrid Era, but it was Perez rather than Verstappen who led them to glory.
Verstappen was in complete control and set to head a Red Bull one-two when his left-rear tyre blew out in the closing stages. The same issue had ruled out Lance Stroll of Aston Martin.
That left the door open for title rival Lewis Hamilton to profit, but an error from the defending champion from the restart allowed Perez to race clear.
Red Bull boss Horner told Sky Sports: "I think I've aged about 20 years.
"We were staring down the barrel of our first one-two since 2016. Everything in control, we'd just checked in with Max, all okay, and then boom.
"The tyre went, and we don't know why. It looked like the wear was in good shape, so whether it's debris or something has happened.
"You can see it's a big place to have an accident. Thankfully, he's okay."
He added: "We were feeling at that point like the world had dropped from under us."
Worse might have been to come for Red Bull as Perez finished the race but then immediately broke down, receiving frantic messages over the radio as he celebrated his first victory for the team.
The Mexican, who has five consecutive top-five finishes for the first time in his career, said: "I'm so, so happy for today. Normally, Baku is pretty crazy.
"First of all, I have to say for Max I'm sorry. He did a tremendous race and really deserved the win, and it would have been incredible to get that one-two for the team.
"But at the end, it is a fantastic day for us. We were close to retiring the car but, luckily, we were able to finish the race. It was quite difficult all the way in the end."
Horner lauded Perez, whose victory moved Red Bull 26 points clear in the constructors' championship on a day Mercedes failed to score.
"He's a wily driver, a canny racer. He races really, really well," Horner said.
"We went from the despair of 'We've lost Max, we're going to lose the championship lead, Lewis could pass him at the restart and win the race'.
"It just shows the rollercoaster you go through in this sport.
"Suddenly it not being quite so bad, we've actually maintained the same lead in the drivers' championship leaving here and extended the constructors'."
Red Bull dedicated the victory to Mansour Ojjeh, the McLaren shareholder who passed away ahead of the race.
"He had the biggest heart and always carried the biggest smile," ex-McLaren man Hamilton posted on Twitter. "I am so grateful to have known such a man."
Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open on Sunday after winning through to the fourth round, citing a desire not to rush his return from injury.
The 39-year-old Swiss prevailed 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 over Dominik Koepfer on Saturday in the longest match he has played in 18 months, following double knee surgery. The contest lasted three hours and 35 minutes.
Federer laboured at times, making 63 unforced errors, fighting hard to triumph in front of an empty crowd locked out by Paris' 9pm curfew, with the match finishing at close to 1am.
The 20-time grand slam winner has played few tournaments over the past 18 months and said a need to rest his body was behind his decision to withdraw.
In a statement released by the French Open, Federer said: "After discussions with my team, I've decided I will need to pull out of Roland Garros today.
"After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation it's important that I listen to my body and make sure I don't push myself too quickly on my road to recovery.
"I am thrilled to have gotten three matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court."
Tournament director Guy Forget said: "The Roland Garros tournament is sorry about the withdrawal of Roger Federer, who put up an incredible fight last night.
"We were all delighted to see Roger back in Paris, where he played three high-level matches. We wish him all the best for the rest of the season."
Federer entered the clay-court major with a 1-2 win-loss record for the year, most recently losing to Pablo Andujar in Geneva last month, and little was expected from him.
However, three wins on the spin showed he is not finished yet at the highest level, with his withdrawal suggesting he wants to preserve himself for Wimbledon, which starts at the end of the month.
Federer had been due to play ninth seed Matteo Berrettini in the last 16 on Monday.
Remarkable late drama at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw Sergio Perez handed victory after Max Verstappen crashed out and title rival Lewis Hamilton incredibly finished outside the points.
Verstappen looked to be coasting to a second consecutive Formula One win and seventh straight podium – both career firsts.
The Red Bull driver, four points ahead of Hamilton in the standings prior to the race, was well in the clear after earlier benefitting from a slow Hamilton pit stop.
But Verstappen's left-rear tyre blew out and ended his race, prompting the furious Dutchman to kick his car in anger.
Lance Stroll had encountered the same issue with the hard Pirelli tyres, swerving out of control when he had been fourth, albeit without pitting.
A red flag – requested by a concerned Red Bull team – followed Verstappen's crash with just three laps remaining, meaning a standing start with Perez ahead of Hamilton on the front row of the grid following the delay.
In another twist, Hamilton and his smoking brakes careered off the circuit from the restart and Perez raced away to lift Red Bull spirits.
With Hamilton way back in 15th, it meant a positive end to the day for Verstappen's team, even if the season leader will continue to rue his misfortune.
Both Verstappen and Perez jumped ahead of Hamilton when he was delayed in the pit lane by Pierre Gasly, having quickly caught pole-sitter Charles Leclerc.
Stroll's mishap threw a spanner in the works, yet Verstappen pulled ahead clear from the restart following the safety car, with Perez again getting the better of Hamilton.
Sebastian Vettel's climb to fourth and attempt to reel in old foe Hamilton looked the most likely source of intrigue in the closing stages, only for Verstappen's blow to bring the race to a standstill.
Hamilton admitted his error when his restart sensationally failed, though, and Perez hung on, his car breaking down moments after crossing the line before Vettel – who achieved a first Aston Martin podium.
Kyle Sinckler has been called up to the British and Irish Lions squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, following Andrew Porter's injury.
Tighthead prop Porter has been ruled out of the series due to a toe problem, which the Ireland international sustained on Friday while in action for Leinster.
Sinckler was a big-name omission from the original selection, but Warren Gatland has now called up the England prop.
Following his omission from the 37-man squad, Sinckler had said it "didn't make sense" to him that he had been left out. He has previously toured with the Lions in 2017, when the team visited New Zealand.
The Lions squad will convene on June 13, taking on Japan in Edinburgh 13 days later before heading out to South Africa, with the tour culminating in a three-Test series against the Springboks.
"It's really bad luck for Andrew and we send him our very best wishes for a quick and successful rehab," said Gatland.
"Andrew is a young man with a big future ahead of him and I'm sure he'll be in contention again in four years' time."
And the former Wales coach hopes Sinckler proves him wrong for his initial decision to leave him out.
"As always in rugby, when there's an injury there's an opportunity for someone else," Gatland added.
"I have been very pleased to see the way Kyle has responded to initially being left out of the touring party.
"He's showed some excellent form of late and I hope he continues to stick two fingers up to me about leaving him out in the first place."
The Lions last toured South Africa in 2009, when they lost the Test series 2-1.
Roger Federer returned a compliment to Andy Murray and looked ahead to a potential grass-court meeting the morning after a gruelling third-round win at Roland Garros.
Federer made round four at the French Open but was so drained by the experience that he suggested he could yet withdraw from the tournament as he looks to build up fitness ahead of Wimbledon.
The Swiss superstar entered the clay-court major with a 1-2 record for the year, most recently losing to Pablo Andujar in Geneva last month.
However, Federer has strung together three straight wins in Paris, beating Dominik Koepfer in the last 32 in a match that finished in the early hours of Sunday in the French capital.
The match started at 21:00 local time (20:00 GMT), in line with a coronavirus-enforced curfew that ensured the stands were empty on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Despite the strange experience and a determined opponent, Federer came through in four sets after three tie-breaks to continue his pursuit of a record-breaking 21st grand slam title.
During the match, which finished at close to 01:00 local time (00:00 GMT), fellow great Murray posted on Twitter: "I'm not bothered by the outcome of this match at all.
"Just seeing Federer at 39 off the back of two knee surgeries playing to an empty stadium at 12:30am getting fired up is inspirational to me. Do what you [love]."
Murray himself has overcome a series of major injuries to remain on the ATP Tour, even backtracking on a retirement pledge in 2019.
So, Federer replied on Sunday: "Thank you Sir Andy, the feeling is mutual. You gotta love it. See you on the [grass]."
There was no further comment on potentially quitting the French Open, where Federer is appearing for only the second time since the start of 2016 – he made the semi-finals two years ago.
His sublime major form has slowed over the past decade, making only nine finals compared to 22 in the previous 10 years.
If Federer is able to continue, he faces a tough ask on Monday, taking on Matteo Berrettini, who has become the first Italian to reach the last 16 of all four slams in the Open Era.
James Harden's hamstring injury left Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash "heartbroken" for the star shooting guard, whose NBA playoffs participation is in doubt.
Harden missed 21 games of the regular season due to a right hamstring problem and seemed to suffer a reoccurrence of the injury just 43 seconds into Saturday's 115-107 Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Nets must now wait on the result of scans to determine the extent of the issue, though Nash was not overly positive.
"You know we got a lot thrown at us this year, so we were, in a sense, well trained for this event," Nash told reporters after the game.
"But you never want to see that for someone like James, who is such an important player and such an incredible player and cares so much.
"I'm heartbroken for him. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if he's playing the next game, if he's out. I have no idea. But I'm heartbroken for him that he had to miss tonight."
The Nets face the Bucks again on Monday, and Kyrie Irving knows how much harder their task will be without Harden.
"I mean, it's never easy to lose anybody, especially this time of the year where we just wanna have fun playing basketball and playing the right way and competing at a high level," said Irving, who scored 25 points and tallied a further eight assists.
"We're obviously out there for bigger reasons, so when you see the game snatched away so early from one of our brothers, we feel for him, and we just had to make a quick adjustment and just adjust from there.
"That's the best thing we can do. We just came in the huddle, made sure that everybody on the bench knew kind of the situation we were in, and like I said, we just played out from there. It went our way tonight, but obviously, we're gonna feel his loss no matter what."
Harden, 31, has averaged 24.6 points, 10.9 assists and 8.5 rebounds in his first season with the Nets since arriving from the Houston Rockets.
The Chiefs won 36-26 over the Rebels but missed out on the bonus point they craved to keep alive their realistic Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final hopes at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney on Sunday.
The Hamilton-based side needed a bonus-point victory against the winless Rebels to have any firm confidence in overcoming top pair the Blues and the Highlanders ahead of the final round of fixtures next weekend and raced to a three-try lead in the first half.
Anton Lienert-Brown crossed twice, including a superb 20th-minute solo try, with fly-half Kaleb Trask also touching down for the Chiefs inside the first 25 minutes to open up a 19-0 lead.
The Rebels showed fight to respond with three tries of their own before half-time, with a double from forward Isi Naisarani and one from Stacey Ili squaring the game up at the break.
Chase Tiatia came off the bench to score a second-half double, while Trask got his second for the Chiefs in the 52nd minute.
Winger Andrew Kellaway crossed for the Rebels who had a 70th minute George Worth try disallowed for obstruction.
The result moves the Chiefs to 14 points ahead of their final-round game against Waratahs, with the Blues and the Highlanders in the top two spots on 19 and 18 points respectively. The Rebels remain winless.
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