French Open 2018: Novak Djokovic Upset Headlines Tuesday Play at Roland Garros

Marco Cecchinato beat Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 7-6 (11) on Tuesday to become the first Italian man in 40 years to qualify for the French Open semi-finals.

In what's likely to be one of the biggest upsets of the year, never mind at this year's French Open, Cecchinato advanced his dream run at Roland-Garros and beat a third successive top-20-seeded player to advance.

Dominic Thiem took advantage of Alexander Zverev's depleted stamina to become the first qualifier for the men's semi-finals, beating the German 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 as the difference in court time at the competition told the story.

Nothing should be taken away from Thiem's victory, however, after he carved an easier route to the quarters and is rewarded for his work with a spot in the final four, where he'll face Cecchinato.

Madison Keys beat Yulia Putintseva 7-6 (5), 6-4 to qualify for the last four at Roland-Garros for the first time in her career. She'll face fellow American Sloane Stephens, who downed Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 6-1.

Putintseva led Keys 5-3 in their first set before a three-game swing saw the momentum shift, while 10th seed Stephens was more dominant in her run to beat Kasatkina for the second time in their three meetings.

Read on as we provide highlights and reaction from a whirlwind day of quarter-final action at Roland-Garros.

Tuesday's Results

Men's Singles

(7) Dominic Thiem bt. (2) Alexander Zverev: 6-4, 6-2, 6-1

Marco Cecchinato bt. (20) Novak Djokovic: 6-3, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 7-6 (11)

Women's Singles

(13) Madison Keys bt. Yulia Putintseva: 7-6 (5), 6-4

(10) Sloane Stephens bt. (14) Daria Kasatkina: 6-4, 6-1

Recap

World No. 72 Cecchinato gave fans all the more reason to remember his name after he pushed Djokovic to the edge in Tuesday's quarter-final clash and sealed his four-set victory with a 24-point tiebreak win.

It's incredible to think the 25-year-old came to Paris having never won a Grand Slam singles match given his form. Even as tennis writer Carole Bouchard noted the opportunities missed by Nole, it was difficult to argue his opponent didn't deserve the victory:

Cecchinato even overcame a point penalty served to him by the chair umpire in the fourth set, said to have left the court without proper permission after the third, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.

Smashes and drop shots were a plentiful part of Cecchinato's play despite the stature of his foe, who at times could only appreciate the underdog's verve along with those others in attendance at Suzanne-Lenglen Court, via Fox Sports:

Djokovic won 144 points to Cecchinato's 140 in the end but was surprisingly less effective in the clutch plays, one particular area of his game that seemingly still needs recovery.

Few might have thought the meeting between Thiem and Zverev would be the more one-sided of the two men's quarters played on Tuesday, but the Austrian took every advantage of his opponent's rough ride to the last eight.

Zverev had played 18 sets en route to the quarter-finals, while Thiem took part in only 15, a difference that appeared to have great impact, as detailed by tennis writer Ben Rothenberg:

A lack of oomph was evident in Zverev's play as he failed to break his Austrian rival in three sets and looked totally drained by the third, where he couldn't gain any traction and trailed 4-0 before slipping off the pace entirely.

Hannah Wilks of LiveTennis.com was somewhat harsher than Rothenberg in her assessment of why Zverev's Grand Slam run fell to pieces, calling on the 21-year-old to show more focus against smaller opponents:

Keys has been playing terrific tennis throughout her campaign at this year's French Open and maintained a pristine record with her 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over Putintseva.

Still yet to drop a set in her five matches at Roland-Garros this year, the 23-year-old responded magnificently after a break left her two games adrift in the opening set, which she won via tiebreak after missing two set points.

Keys committed 21 unforced errors to Putintseva's much cleaner total of 10, but it didn't matter as she served her way into the last four, via the Tennis Channel:

Her next outing will be a battle of wills against compatriot and friend Stephens, who has emerged victorious in both of their previous meetings as professionals, most recently beating Keys in the final of last year's U.S. Open.

Stephens earned what will also be her first trip to the French Open semis, and journalist Tumaini Carayol illustrated just how powerful her 6-1 win in the second set was:

American women's tennis will lose one of its two remaining French Open contenders when the pair collide on Thursday, which presents Keys with her best chance to date of upsetting No. 10 seed Stephens.