Before Tuesday, Italy’s Marco Cecchinato had not won a single match in any Grand Slam tournament. But the World No. 72 is now into the semi-finals of the French Open 2018 tournament following a stunning defeat of 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. “Am I dreaming? Maybe I’m sleeping? I don't understand nothing,” Cecchinato said at the post-match interview.
Cecchinato’s dream run at the French Open has not come easily. He overcame formidable opponents in his journey: Pablo Carreño Busta in the third round and the in-form David Goffin in the fourth. He will now face Dominic Thiem for a place in the finals.
Prior to this tournament, Cecchinato had won only one title – the Budapest Open earlier this year. With his win over Djokovic, Cecchinato became the first Italian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in the last 40 years. He is also the lowest-ranked Major semifinalist since Wimbledon 2008.
His victory, however, was marred by past allegations of match-fixing against him. In 2016, the Federation of Italian Tennis barred Cecchinato for 18 months and fined him 40,000 euros after he was “accused of match-fixing and using confidential information for gambling.”