Lucie Safarova has claimed that her aggressive tactics on the clay court were too much for Maria Sharapova to handle as the world number 13 knocked out the defending champion in the fourth round of the French Open

Safarova managed to see off the Russian five-time Grand Slam champion in a 7-6[3] 6-4 triumph to book a place in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time in her career.

"I knew Maria is an amazing player and I needed to play aggressively and come forward for the points so I'm really happy," Safarova said after the match. "I'm so happy, it's amazing. It was a great match today and the crowd were so good."

The 28-year-old will take on number 21 seed Garbine Muguruza in the final eight.