The sun was shining again, spectators topped up their tans under clear blue skies but a cold chill circulated around Maria Sharapova as the title holder was frozen out of the French Tennis Open in the fourth round.
Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova at the French Open. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
A day after rain played havoc with the schedule, Sharapova's hopes of reaching a fourth successive final at Roland Garros were turned to dust by the dynamite forehand of Lucie Safarova, the Czech winning 7-6(3) 6-4.
Sharapova spent the changeovers coughing and spluttering into a tissue but the Russian second seed refused to blame health problems for her earliest exit at the French Open since 2010.
"I'm still a competitor no matter what. I'm going to do everything in order to go out and give it my best, and I think I did the best I could. Today it wasn't enough, because my opponent had a different gear than I did," the 2012 and 2014 champion said.
Sharapova was one of eight grand slam champions in action on day nine with Serena Williams and Roger Federer making sure they did not suffer the same fate as the Russian.
Top seed Williams relied on her famed survival instincts rather than her explosive firepower to extinguish the challenge of fellow American Sloane Stephens 1-6 7-5 6-3.
As she came back from a set down for a third match in a row, her exertions turned her hot-pink outfit into darker shade of cerise - but that mattered little to the fashion-conscious Williams.
"I keep fighting, I never give up," a grinning Williams summed up.
Fellow 33-year-old Federer also harbours hopes of landing another title in Paris.
In the build-up to his showdown with French showman Gael Monfils, Federer Tweeted a squiggly sketch of the Eiffel Tower.
While his attempt at drawing the famous Paris landmark would not look out of place in the sketch books of his five-year-old twins Charlene Riva and Myla Rose, what the Swiss second seed produced on court was a masterpiece.
Resuming the match at one-set all, Federer dazzled Monfils with an array of spine-tingling winners for a 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory that kept him on track for a record 18th grand slam title.
"I'm pumped up to be in the quarters again. It really means a lot to me," he said.
At 33, Federer would have been relieved with such a swift conclusion to the match because, thanks to Sunday's rain-curtailed programme, he will be back on court for the third day running on Tuesday for his all-Swiss quarter-final against Stan Wawrinka.
There could also be two Spaniards in the men's last eight after seventh seed David Ferrer ended U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic's run with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 romp.
His next challenge will be ending the 14-match claycourt winning streak of Andy Murray after the British third seed tamed France's Jeremy Chardy 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2.
