Top South African tennis player Kevin Andersonreceived a lesson on the intricacies of clay court tennis from Spaniard David Ferrer, who thumped him 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in the fourth round of the French Open.
Still, the 2.03m-tall Anderson, who hails from Johannesburg, can take pride in being the first South African to reach the last 16 of the French Open since Wayne Ferreira in 1996.
Anderson will achieve a best-ever rating when the new world rankings are released next Monday after earning 180 points from the French Open.
Currently ranked 25, Anderson could soon achieve the goal he set for himself this year - being one of the world's top 20 tennis players.
Furthermore, the R1.25-million he will receive for reaching the fourth round will constitute the biggest purse of his career.
His excellent performance at Roland Garros will also elevate him to 14th place in the race for one of the eight places in the ATP's World Championships in London at the end of the year.
As for the clinical whipping he received from the diminutive Ferrer on Sunday, Anderson's agent, Stuart Duguid, said: "He was simply not at the races. Kevin was unrecognisable as the player who had stunned the world's 14th-ranked Milos Raonic in the third round.
"But don't forget Ferrer's performance was quite phenomenal. He made only 11 errors throughout the three sets and his speed round the court and placements were awesome. It's no disgrace losing to a player ranked fourth in the world when he is in this kind of mood."
Duguid also let slip that Anderson was heading straight to England to prepare for the grass court season, which culminates in Wimbledon later this month.
"The plan is to adjust to grass court conditions with appearances at Queens, and possibly Eastbourne, before Wimbledon."
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 