Italian’s fate in hands of Joker
CLEARED of match-fixing only two years ago, Italian Marco Cecchinato will continue to chase redemption in the most unlikely fashion — a French Open quarter-final tilt at Novak Djokovic.
Cecchinato, 25, was banned for 18 months in 2016 for his role in an alleged scam in a Moroccan Challenger match in 2015.
After losing the match in Morocco to Kamil Majchrzak, Cecchinato was suspended with compatriots Riccardo Accardi and Antonio Campo for conspiracy to match-fix.
The ban was reduced on appeal to 12 months and then completely scrapped, along with a fine for more than $50,000.
Remarkably, Cecchinato had never won a grand slam match before this tournament, but showed some good form when winning an ATP claycourt title in Budapest as a lucky loser — beating Queenslander John Millman in the final.
His 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory over eighth seed David Goffin in the fourth round followed a four-set win against 10th-seed Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
“For me, this is the best moment of my life. Maybe it’s a dream, because now I’m very, very happy for this match,” said Cecchinato.
“I started the year playing very well, so now this is the best moment of my life be- cause I feel every match is good.”
It will be tough for Cecchinato to continue his remarkable run, though, with Djokovic starting to look closer to his best form after slipping to 22 in the rankings.
Cecchinato and Djokovic have never previously played but they are familiar, having practised together on several occasions.
“For me it’s amazing. It’s a pleasure playing against Novak in a quarter-final at Roland Garros,” he said.
“I feel very good, because every match I play very well. Now I beat David Goffin, [who] is one of the best players in the world.”
Djokovic said: “I have known of him for many years.
“I know now his game and I practised with him, I watched him play. For sure, he’s playing the tennis of his life.
“Even though he’s not a seeded player, he’s still in the quarter-final. He deserves respect and he’s got nothing to lose in our next match. So I’ll approach it very seriously.”