Moments after Marco Cecchinato shocked Novak Djokovic to reach the Roland Garros semifinals, the world No. 72 sat on his court-side seat and wondered if he was really horizontal.
"Are you sure [I won]? Maybe I am sleeping,” a grinning Cecchinato said after toppling the 2016 Roland Garros champion in a brilliant and sometime breathtaking 6-3, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 7-6 (11) .
Watch: Cecchinato Makes History
You can't fault Cecchinato for the most surreal semifinal run.
Arriving in Paris winless in his Grand Slam career, the 25-year-old Italian has been inspired becoming the lowest-ranked Roland Garros semifinalist since No. 100 Andrei Medvedev in 1999.
Cecchinato fought back from 1-4 down in the fourth set, denied set points in the tie break and hit his way into history as the first Italian man to make a major semifinal since Corrado Barazzutti, who was in the crowd watching today, made the final four in Paris in 1978.
Emotions erupted afterward.
Cecchinato collapsed to the court. Djokovic, who has practiced with the Palermo-born baseliner in Monte Carlo, graciously walked around the net to embrace the victor. While fans were roaring, members of Cecchinato's family were sobbing tears of joy in his player box.
Cecchinato was in disbelief continuing a pulsating run reminiscent of the young Guga Kuerten in knocking off 10th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta, eighth-seeded David Goffin and former world No. 1 Djokovic in succession.
“It's amazing," Cecchinato said. "It's unbelievable for me. I am very happy because it is unbelievable to beat Novak Djokovic at a quarterfinal in Roland Garros.
"I started very well on my serve and, phew... I was so tired, but I won the match... amazing. It is the first time in a semifinal in a Grand Slam. Now I need to think for the semifinal, (take time) for recovery and I am very happy."
Cecchinato will face Dominic Thiem in Thursday's semifinals. Thiem powered past Alexander Zverev, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1, into his third straight Roland Garros semifinal.
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images