Musetti's relief after line judge scare as Sabalenka and Swiatek eye showdown

Lorenzo Musetti admitted that he was "scared" about being defaulted after accidentally kicking a tennis ball at a line judge during his win against Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals of the French Open.

- Tumaini Carayol

Yesterday Musetti, the eighth seed, held his nerve in treacherous windy conditions to close out a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win against Tiafoe, the 15th seed to reach the semi-finals in Paris for the first time. The match, however, included a moment of jeopardy after he kicked a ball towards the back fence, which rebounded against the shoulder of an unflinching line judge. Musetti received a code violation warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"Honestly it was really unlucky coincidence," said Musetti. "I was a little bit scared because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course. So I immediately went to the line umpire, and of course said sorry. I apologise to everyone. It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that's why he probably just let me continue my game."