Two teenagers will be seen in the quarter-finals of the French Open after Stefanos Tsitsipas, fourth seed, was stunned on Tuesday (AEST) by Denmark’s Holger Rune.
Last year’s finalist, Tsitsipas, was defeated by 19-year-old 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-4 to join teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight.
It is the first time since 1994 that two teenagers have reached the men’s quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.
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“I have an incredible feeling. I was so nervous at the end,” said Rune, who is making his French Open debut.
“I was very nervous. I told myself to go ahead and play out my plan. I mean, it’s so great to still be here.”
It still leaves Tsitsipas on the hunt for his first Grand Slam title.
Tsitsipas was devastated and clearly emotional during his post-match press conference.
“I’ve had a lot of trouble finding my rhythm for the past few days,” he said. “I was very nervous on the field, frustrated a lot and I knew I was like that, but I couldn’t stop being like that.”
Speaking of the match, he added: “I didn’t really put a lot of pressure on it, it was ridiculous at one point, and again I was stubborn, I was stubborn to change it, I didn’t want to change because it got me before. helped, it has yielded good results.
“But again, as I have to adapt much faster, it’s too late for this sort of thing.”
Rune will face Norwegian Casper Ruud in the next round, with blockbuster clashes between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz.
Before the match, Zverev criticized the organizers of the French Open, who he said favored emerging Spanish teenage star Alcaraz.
Zverev, 25, is unhappy about his lack of matches at Roland Garros’ flagship Philippe Chatrier-hof, which has a retractable roof, compared to Alcaraz.
The German feels that organizers have put him at a disadvantage in the run-up to his quarter-final with just one of his four games so far at Chatrier.
“I played Chatrier once, (world number one Novak) Djokovic played twice, (Rafael) Nadal three times, like Alcaraz,” Zverev told German media after he toiled for a last 16 win over Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
“Sure, he’s the new superstar, the new face of tennis and it’s nice to see something new too, but in our half of the draw it should be more divided who plays when and where.”
Zverev, the reigning Olympic champion, described playing Chatrier in Paris as “completely different” compared to other courts.
“It’s like playing on another continent.”
Zverev says he won’t be worried if organizers gave Djokovic, the defending French Open champion, and Nadal, who won 13-time Roland Garros, preferential treatment.
“It is clear, and rightly so, that Rafa and Novak are getting what they want,” Zverev said.
“Now there is a new and young player who deserves a lot of attention, but I have the feeling that the other players are being ignored.”
WORLD NUMBER TWO MEDVEDEV EXCLUDED
The number two in the world, Daniil Medvedev, was eliminated in two sets by Marin Cilic in the last 16 on Monday.
Former US Open champion Cilic won 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in just 1 hour 45 minutes at Court Philippe Chatrier.
Cilic, in 23rd place, takes on Russian Andrey Rublev in his third quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
Medvedev, the reigning US Open champion, had made his best run in Paris 12 months ago when he reached the quarter-finals.
He hadn’t dropped a set at the tournament this year, but was completely outplayed by 33-year-old Cilic who broke five times on his serve.
Medvedev was unable to take a single break point as the Croat defeated the Russian for the first time in four encounters.
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