US Open star said four words to Sky Sports pundit mid-match before beating Sonay Kartal

Beatriz Haddad Maia survived a brutal test against Britain's Sonay Kartal in the first round of the US Open. Kartal forced a decider after losing the first set but it soon became apparent that she was battling a physical issue, and she dropped four games in a row.

But there was plenty of drama, as Haddad Maia suddenly started struggling physically while serving at 4-0 in the final set, and got broken. In the next game, the No. 18 seed approached retired British star Laura Robson, who was covering the match courtside for Sky Sports, and spoke to her while holding a break point.

Robson had been expecting Kartal to retire when she seemed to be dealing with cramps during the third and final set, and was seen doubling over in pain and grabbing her leg.

"I've just been signalling to her team and they seem to think it's cramp, actually. She cannot load that left leg whatsoever and she's just not even sure right now if she's going to finish the match," the 2012 Olympic silver medallist told viewers when Kartal went 0-4 down.

"Knowing Sonay, she's will desperately to want to finish it but physically, is she going to be able to move at all here? Because it looks like it's getting worse here by the point.

"Really, really tough times for her. An hour and 51 minutes, it's a physical match, they've been trying so hard, but what's left?"

Just when it looked as though Kartal - who had also been nursing a knee injury following her run to the fourth round of Wimbledon - was going to retire, Haddad Maia started struggling physically.

Commentators Jonathan Overend and Naomi Broady noticed that the Brazilian was struggling to move, and she was soon broken. The pressure was back on Kartal's shoulders at 1-4 in the decider, and Haddad Maia could be seen looking towards Robson, who was standing at the corner of the court.

Haddad Maia finally managed to break, giving herself the opportunity to serve for the match, and Robson revealed that the 18th seed even spoke to her. "You guys were mentioning the fact that she's looking over and fistpumping at me," she said.

"At one point she had an opportunity to break, she came over to the towel and she looked me dead in the eye and said, 'I love this sport'."

Haddad Maia had trouble closing out the match - she blew two match points and had to save a break point before getting the job done to win 6-3 1-6 6-1 and snapping a four-match losing streak. The 29-year-old was struggling so much that she even threw in an underarm serve.

"I'm with Bia, I love this sport! I mean, that was so dramatic, and I felt for both of them because they were just working so hard to be able to start the point, let alone finish each rally," Robson said after the match.

"Honestly, I think for Sonay, it was almost knee and cramp. It was like one was not helping the other because, at times, she was having to compensate and put extra weight on that right leg.

"I think I loved every single second of that, not always for the right reasons, because it was just brutal for the players at times, but my goodness, it was entertaining."

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