They were described as the hottest conditions some had ever played in, with one player unable to use his phone following the match after it fried in his bag for almost three hours.
The world's leading tennis players were left to sizzle at Sydney Olympic Park on Wednesday, asked to continue playing through 41-plus degree temperatures at the Sydney International.
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Danish superstar Caroline Wozniacki, who bowed out in three sets, headlined the list of players who played on the scorching summer day – the first time temperatures of more than 40 degrees had been recorded at Olympic Park this summer.
However it didn't stop Canada's Eugenie Bouchard in her resurgence, booking a berth in the semi-final with a straight-sets win over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
![Fan favourite: Caroline Wozniacki tries to keep cool at the Sydney International.](/web/20170112081531im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/p/i/q/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtphw1.png/1484126001854.jpg)
Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, whose victory over Australian Matthew Barton came just as temperatures hit 40 degrees after 2pm, described the conditions as the toughest he's played in.
He admitted he was ready to throw in the towel after losing the second set, but regained his composure to send the Australian tumbling out of the tournament.
"It went through my head, to be honest," Muller said when asked if he wanted to throw in the towel.
"At one point, especially at the end of the second set, I was already really struggling with the heat and I was thinking, 'Jesus, I don't know if I can finish this match'."
!["At one point, especially at the end of the second set, I was already really struggling with the heat": Gilles Muller ...](/web/20170112081531im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/p/i/r/7/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtphw1.png/1484126001854.jpg)
Muller realised just how hot it was when he tried to use his phone after the match, only to receive a notification that his device needed time to cool down before use.
"It's funny, when I came to the locker room after the match, I had my phone in my bag and wanted to check my messages and it was the first time I've ever seen this – I pushed the button and it said 'it's too hot, the phone has to cool down'," he said.
"I've never seen that before. Have you seen that before? It was in my bag in the shade. I've never seen that before. It was really tough."
At the change of ends, an elderly gentleman was tasked with the responsibility of providing shade to Muller by holding a large umbrella over his head.
The No.6 seed said he was concerned for the man's health given the severity of the conditions.
"I noticed him and thought, 'Geez, I hope he's going to be fine'," Muller said.
"Because at one point he was closing his eyes and I was thinking hopefully he's OK."
The women were provided with additional rest periods during the matches, however temperatures and humidity levels didn't reach the required threshold in order for play to be suspended.
Wozniacki did well to get herself back in the match after she found herself trailing 5-0 in the second set tie break after surrendering the opening set.
The Dane was up a break in the third but somehow squandered the opportunity to reach the semi-final, falling short in the 201-minute marathon.
"Yeah, it was brutal out there, and it was really hot," Wozniacki said.
"But, you know, you just try and think like you're on a beach drinking pina coladas. That's basically your train of thought. You know that it's the same for both players, so I was just trying to mentally just try and keep cool. But it was really, really hot out there."
Bouchard admitted she struggled with the conditions, but she managed to make light work of her opponent to set up a semi-final showdown against Britain's Johanna Konta.
"All I was thinking about was, you know, the next changeover and drinking water and the ice towel, and wish we had ice baths on the court," Bouchard said.
It will be Bouchard's first semi-final appearance since Kuala Lumpur in February last year.
"It's a good step," Bouchard said.
"You know, I don't want to get too happy after a win or too sad after a loss, so, for me, it's just a good step in the right direction. I know there is a long way to go to achieve what I want.
"But, you know, to match up against solid players like I have this week, it's a very tough tournament here. So I'm proud of that, for sure."
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