Joao Fonseca became the first Brazilian man to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since Gustavo Kuerten

Paris (France) (AFP) - Key quotes from the eighth day of the French Open at Roland Garros on Sunday:

“I just try to be me on court, try to be happy, try to hit winners, try to hit good shots, try to be entertaining.”

– Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca after delighting the crowd in his four-set win over Casper Ruud.

“She (Elina Svitolina) has paved the way for a lot of Ukrainian girls and boys, and she’s doing great. And especially this year, she’s doing unbelievable. So excited for this match. I have played with her two years ago, and I know a little bit what to expect, of course. It’s going to be a good match.”

– Marta Kostyuk after setting up an all-Ukrainian quarter-final against Svitolina by dumping out four-time champion Iga Swiatek.

“I think if I was superstitious, I wouldn’t last so long, because you just go crazy. Every day is different. Every day your mood is different. You want to do different things. So I am very not a superstitious person, for sure.”

– Kostyuk on whether or not she has a superstitious routine.

“There is no bonus from being out of the tournament.”

– Swiatek when asked if being knocked out early was a “bonus” for her Wimbledon title defence preparations.

“Competing against Jannik (Sinner) and Carlos (Alcaraz) is something he’ll be able to do very soon. Of course, he can be at that level. It’s his first year, he’s very young, and he has a lot of room to improve.”

– Pablo Carreno Busta on fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar after losing to the 19-year-old French Open debutant.

“I think it’s exciting for the tournament, for the people to witness the women’s match.

“I think of course it’s (an) important step for women’s tennis. Yeah, it’s, I think, a good move forward.”

– Svitolina on Aryna Sabalenka v Naomi Osaka being scheduled as the first women’s night match since 2023.

“I like heat. I always did. I always felt comfortable in the heat. The only time I really didn’t feel comfortable was in Tokyo in the Olympics, and that moment, it was different kind of heat. We were all dying on the court.”

– Alexander Zverev, who won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, on the hot conditions during the first week at Roland Garros, which finally eased Sunday.