Daniil Medvedev bowed out of the French Open at the fourth round stage, suffering a somewhat shock defeat to Alex de Minaur.
The latter emerged victorious in Paris, with the Australian clinching a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 win on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
World number five Medvedev started the match brightly, but ultimately was not strong enough to outmanoeuvre his opponent on the clay.
World number 11 De Minaur has now secured a last-eight spot at a major for the first time since the 2020 US Open.
And a semi-final place will undoubtedly be his next goal, with the Australian handed a tough tie against Alexander Zverev.
Daniil Medvedev shocked by Alex de Minaur at the French Open
Medvedev powered his way into the fourth round at Roland Garros, and was perhaps left surprised at his own display during the defeat to De Minaur.
But the performance of his opponent was more shocking, with the Russian full of praise for his adversary despite exiting the competition in a disappointing manner.
“In my opinion, he played probably the best match we have played,” Medvedev said in his post-match press conference.
“I mean it’s a different surface but I watched his matches on clay this year to try and see what tactic to try.
“I didn’t see him playing like this. He was missing more. His serving today was better than most guys I played on clay, so that was surprising.
“Today he improved big time in every aspect, then it comes to the point that we know Alex can beat anyone, I think already he has beaten Novak [Djokovic] and Rafa [Nadal].
“Then it’s a question of can you do it week in, week out and can you become number one, two or three in the world.
“He is close there, so he’s a great player. And then it’s a question of what he does in the quarters, if he plays like today, let’s see.”
Can Alex de Minaur clinch his first Grand Slam title?
De Minaur was unsurprisingly thrilled with his latest French Open win, but he doesn’t have much time to celebrate.
A very tricky test against German Zverev awaits, with the fourth seed in formidable form at this moment in time.
Both players are chasing their first Grand Slam titles, but it is the German ace who looks more likely to be the first to clinch silverware.
The 27-year-old lifted the Italian Open trophy in Rome last month, and has the backing of tennis legend John McEnroe to do the same at Roland Garros.
But nothing is certain in this iconic competition, with De Minaur likely to continue feeding off the supporters, having roared ‘I love it here, I absolutely love it’ after his win against Medvedev.
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