World No.72 Marco Cecchinato says beating David Goffin to set up a French Open quarter-final with Novak Djokovic is the “best moment” of his life.
The Italian, 25, who was banned for alleged match fixing in 2015, extended his best run at a Grand Slam with a 7-5 4-6 6-0 6-3 win over the Belgian.
Cecchinato will face 12-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, who beat Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-4 6-2.
[quote]”I will play in the quarter-final with one Cecchinato of the best players in the world, so it is a dream for me,” he said.[/quote]
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“It is a pleasure to play against Novak, this moment is unbelievable for me.”
Cecchinato, who won his first ATP World Tour title at the Hungarian Open in April, has never previously made it beyond the first round of a Grand Slam. But he has now knocked out two top-10 seeds to reach the last eight at Roland Garros, having also seen off Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round.
Cecchinato, who moved back into the top 100 after winning in Budapest earlier this year, says his run at Roland Garros is down to his improved concentration.
“I think it started from pre-season, because every day I was very focused on the practice on court and also in the gym. This is the different from past.”
Cecchinato was banned following allegations of match-fixing at an ATP Challenger in Morocco in October 2015, but saw his 18-month suspension overturned after a successful appeal to the Italian Olympic Committee.
