Novak Djokovic is out of the French Open as world No. 72 Marco Cecchinato sailed through into the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time after beating Djokovic yesteday.
The Serb faced an unfamiliar opponent in his ninth consecutive appearance at this stage at Roland Garros but as was the case in 2017, he fell in the last-eight.
Djokovic had never lost to a player from Italy at a major in the past, and few would have given Cecchinato of hope of ending that run. But the Italian amazingly took a two-set lead over the former world No. 1.
The 2016 champion struggled with a neck injury early in the contest and staged a mini fightback but after being a break up twice in the fourth, he succumbed to defeat losing 3-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-7 (11-13).
For 25-year-old Cecchinato, it was a remarkable result – particularly considering he’d never won a main draw Grand Slam match prior to this tournament – and he will go on to face Dominic Thiem in the last-four. The Italian showed no fear early on in the match, setting up break point in Djokovic’s opening service game before finding a way through in the second on his way to a 4-1 lead.
