Day nine at Roland Garros might have turned into a rolling earthquake at one point in the women’s draw but it could be judged a passing tremor at the close, Maria Sharapova a battered casualty and Serena Williams a relieved, if troubled, survivor.
Still standing after the fourth round of the men’s competition were Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and – after a minor scare against the young American Jack Sock – Rafael Nadal.
While the 7-6, 6-4 defeat for Sharapova, the defending women’s champion, by Lucie Safarova – who had lost 18 times in a row against top-10 opponents – was, on the face of it, tumultuous, the Czech, seeded 13th, probably was the Russian’s worst nightmare outside the elite level.