Andy Murray admitted he enjoyed the "hostile atmosphere" he had to deal with in his victory over Richard Gasquet at the French Open.
The British number one rallied from a set down to triumph 1-6 6-4 6-1 6-2 against the home favourite and reach the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the third time in his career.
Umpire Carlos Bernardes was struggling to keep control of the Paris crowd in the closing stages, though Murray insisted he had fun playing the role of pantomime villain.
"He obviously started the match well but I started to use the energy from the crowd in a positive way and obviously turned it around and played very well the last few sets," he said.
"I wouldn't say it got too much. It was almost like playing a football match. And I like football. I enjoyed myself on the court today.
"It's the most fun I've had on the court in a while, so I wasn't shying away from the fact that the crowd wanted me to lose.
"I've played Davis Cup a few times away from home but that was probably one of the most hostile atmospheres that I've played in."
Murray endured a slow start on Court Philippe Chatrier, losing the first seven points of the contest and being broken twice in three games.
However he battled back to take a tense second set before moving through the gears, the fourth seed producing some sensational shots to extend his winning streak to seven matches.
Gasquet gave his opponent only the most cursory of handshakes at the end and then complained the fourth seed had enjoyed more than his fair share of good fortune.
The 25-year-old said: "He was so lucky during the second set, so many shots not far away (from being out). But then at the beginning of the third set I made a few mistakes.
"Then when he gains confidence, it's really difficult, because he's a fighter, and he's always there. He always hits one shot more than you.
"He played well during the third and fourth sets. It was difficult for me to have the upper hand. He was a difficult player to play against."
The Frenchman was also unhappy about an exchange towards the end of the second set when Murray circled the mark of a shot that just missed the line, but Gasquet asked Bernardes to check it anyway.
"I asked the umpire to check the mark," he added. "He (Murray) said: 'No, you shouldn't ask the umpire to come down from the chair.' So this is why we argued a little."
In response, Murray said: "Maybe some of the shots I hit were lucky. I don't know.
"If you're the one on the court when the crowd's obviously against you, there's a few close line calls back and forward. If you query a line call, you get booed. But then when he disputes one, it's cheered.
"When I circled the mark and it was clearly out, maybe I used that to give me that extra push at the end of the second set. If he was unhappy with that, then that's his problem. He should have just tried to get on with it."
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