On a day of grey skies and swirling winds in Paris, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lit up the gloom with an exhilarating display of power tennis to claim a place in the last eight of the French Open at the expense of Tomas Berdych, the fourth seed, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3.
In the biggest upset in the men’s draw so far, the Frenchman swept to victory on a tide of local sentiment, Tsonga battering his way to a quarter-final appointment with Kei Nishikori, the world No5.
Almost three hours before he sealed victory with the last of numerous untameable forehands, Tsonga had walked on to Court Philippe Chatrier, where local favourite Alizé Cornet had just been beaten by the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, to find the crowd in subdued mood.