Diego Schwartzman hailed Dominic Thiem as ‘one of the best players in the world’ after dumping the Australian out of Roland Garros.
Thiem came to Paris riding a wave of optimism after winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open last month.
He looked a little leggy at times as a result of his efforts in New York, but Schwartzman was well worth of his 7-6 (7-1), 5-7, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory.
“Dominic is one of the best players right now in the world,” Schwartzman said after the match, which lasted over five hours.
“He won the last Grand Slam, he is a two-time finalist here, and I have a lot of respect for him.
“That’s why this match is very important for me. I played a few five-setters here and I never won. I think at the end this night I deserved to win.”
The win puts Schwartzman into his first ever Grand Slam semi-final, where he may face Rafael Nadal, who he beat in Rome two weeks ago.
