Maria Sharapova trusted her fighting instincts as she battled back from a love set to defeat Jelena Jankovic and reach the semi-finals of the French Open.
The crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier was certainly not expecting to see the defending champion struggle to keep the ball in the court throughout the first six games.
The last time Sharapova recovered from such a position to win a match she was 15 years old, but she dug in and came through 0-6 6-4 6-3 to set up an intriguing semi-final against Victoria Azarenka.
Sharapova said: “I started the match off with a large number of unforced errors and her playing really well, smart, doing the right things, being consistent. She served really well, and it was really the opposite for me.
“So I was really happy that I was able to win the first two games of the second set. That was really important. At least give her something to think about. She was a bit in cruise control.
“I wanted to put that chapter behind me. No matter how many errors I made or how disappointed I was with the way I started the match, I knew that I still could try to create chances out there.”
Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, has now reached the semi-finals at every grand slam after a 7-6 (7/3) 6-2 win over friend and former doubles partner Maria Kirilenko.
Jankovicsaid: “I feel like I’m in the top five with the game I’m playing right now.”