<p class="title">World number 72 Marco Cecchinato became the first Italian man in 40 years to reach a Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday with a breathtaking 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 7-6 (13/11) victory over 12-time major winner Novak Djokovic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cecchinato, who had never won a Grand Slam match in his career before Roland Garros, goes on to face Austrian seventh seed Dominic Thiem for a place in Sunday’s final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In an epic fourth set tiebreaker, Djokovic saved three match points but wasted three set points as Cecchinato became the lowest-ranked man in the semifinals in Paris since 100th-ranked Andrei Medvedev in 1999.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a roller-coaster of a quarterfinal, both men were warned for coaching, 2016 champion Djokovic required two medical timeouts while the Italian was docked a point for unsportsmanlike behaviour.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Djokovic had also squandered three set points in the second set and failed to serve out the fourth in the ninth game after being 5-2 in front.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In an extraordinary post-match press conference, Djokovic then said he may even skip Wimbledon where he has been champion three times.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I don’t know if I am going to play on grass,” said the Serb.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cecchinato said he was stunned by his triumph, coming just two years after his career was almost derailed when he became embroiled in match-fixing allegations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Maybe I’m sleeping. It’s amazing, it’s unbelievable for me. I’m very happy because it’s unbelievable to beat Novak Djokovic in a quarter-final at Roland Garros. It’s amazing,” said the 25-year-old who is the first Italian to get this far at a Slam since Corrado Barazzutti at Roland Garros in 1978.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Djokovic, bidding to reach a 32nd Grand Slam semi-final, hit just three winners in the first set. The 31-year-old also needed a medical timeout to treat a neck injury which looked as if it would derail him when he slipped 0-2 down in the second set to the Italian.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Thiem reached his third successive French Open semi-final with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 demolition of a hobbled and exhausted Alexander Zverev who admitted he was close to quitting the tie.</p>.<p class="bodytext">US Open champion Sloane Stephens brushed aside Russian Daria Kasatkina in the womens quarterfinals to set up a repeat of last year’s Flushing Meadows final with fellow American Madison Keys.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 10th seed produced a clinical performance to down Kasatkina, the conqueror of world number two Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3, 6-1.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier Keys, the 13th seed, reached the semis for the first time by seeing off Yulia Putintseva 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Bopanna out</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rohan Bopanna and his partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin crashed out of the tournament after suffering a 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 defeat to Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="bold">Results (Pre-fix denotes seeding): Quarterfinals: Men:</span> Marco Cecchinato (Ita) bt 20-Novak Djokovic (Srb) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 7-6 (13/11), 7-Dominic Thiem (Aut) bt 2-Alexander Zverev (Ger) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="bold">Women:</span> 13-Madison Keys (USA) bt Yulia Putintseva (Kaz) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 10-Sloane Stephens (USA) bt 14-Daria Kasatkina (Rus) 6-3, 6-1.</p>
<p class="title">World number 72 Marco Cecchinato became the first Italian man in 40 years to reach a Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday with a breathtaking 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 7-6 (13/11) victory over 12-time major winner Novak Djokovic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cecchinato, who had never won a Grand Slam match in his career before Roland Garros, goes on to face Austrian seventh seed Dominic Thiem for a place in Sunday’s final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In an epic fourth set tiebreaker, Djokovic saved three match points but wasted three set points as Cecchinato became the lowest-ranked man in the semifinals in Paris since 100th-ranked Andrei Medvedev in 1999.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a roller-coaster of a quarterfinal, both men were warned for coaching, 2016 champion Djokovic required two medical timeouts while the Italian was docked a point for unsportsmanlike behaviour.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Djokovic had also squandered three set points in the second set and failed to serve out the fourth in the ninth game after being 5-2 in front.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In an extraordinary post-match press conference, Djokovic then said he may even skip Wimbledon where he has been champion three times.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“I don’t know if I am going to play on grass,” said the Serb.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cecchinato said he was stunned by his triumph, coming just two years after his career was almost derailed when he became embroiled in match-fixing allegations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Maybe I’m sleeping. It’s amazing, it’s unbelievable for me. I’m very happy because it’s unbelievable to beat Novak Djokovic in a quarter-final at Roland Garros. It’s amazing,” said the 25-year-old who is the first Italian to get this far at a Slam since Corrado Barazzutti at Roland Garros in 1978.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Djokovic, bidding to reach a 32nd Grand Slam semi-final, hit just three winners in the first set. The 31-year-old also needed a medical timeout to treat a neck injury which looked as if it would derail him when he slipped 0-2 down in the second set to the Italian.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Thiem reached his third successive French Open semi-final with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 demolition of a hobbled and exhausted Alexander Zverev who admitted he was close to quitting the tie.</p>.<p class="bodytext">US Open champion Sloane Stephens brushed aside Russian Daria Kasatkina in the womens quarterfinals to set up a repeat of last year’s Flushing Meadows final with fellow American Madison Keys.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 10th seed produced a clinical performance to down Kasatkina, the conqueror of world number two Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3, 6-1.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier Keys, the 13th seed, reached the semis for the first time by seeing off Yulia Putintseva 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Bopanna out</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rohan Bopanna and his partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin crashed out of the tournament after suffering a 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 defeat to Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="bold">Results (Pre-fix denotes seeding): Quarterfinals: Men:</span> Marco Cecchinato (Ita) bt 20-Novak Djokovic (Srb) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 7-6 (13/11), 7-Dominic Thiem (Aut) bt 2-Alexander Zverev (Ger) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="bold">Women:</span> 13-Madison Keys (USA) bt Yulia Putintseva (Kaz) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 10-Sloane Stephens (USA) bt 14-Daria Kasatkina (Rus) 6-3, 6-1.</p>