Sweden's Robin Soderling, conqueror of Rafael Nadal, marched into his first ever Grand Slam semi-final with a superb 6-1 6-3 6-1 win over Russian Nikolay Davydenko at the French Open yesterday.
Soderling, the 23rd seed, will play Fernando Gonzalez for a place in the final. The Chilean 12th seed qualified for his first French Open semi-final after a 6-3 3-6 6-0 6-4 victory over British third seed Andy Murray.
Soderling, 24, shocked the sporting world by inflicting a first ever Roland Garros defeat on four-time champion Nadal on Sunday and becomes the first Swedish French Open semi-finalist since his coach Magnus Norman in 2000.
"I didn't have a very easy draw," said Soderling, who also overcame Spanish 14th seed David Ferrer in the third round.
"I've played three good claycourt players and I've played three very good matches, so my confidence is getting better and better."
Davydenko, playing on his 28th birthday, was at times made to look statuesque by Soderling's strafing groundstrokes.
Soderling's inspired shot-making continued as he opened up a two-set lead and he totted up yet more sensational winners in an uncompetitive third set to prolong his fairytale run on the Paris clay.
Gonzalez will now bid to reach his first Grand Slam final since his runner-up appearance at the 2007 Australian Open.
"I have to give him a lot of credit," said a dejected Murray.
Dominika Cibulkova became the first Slovakian to reach the French Open semi-finals after striking down Maria Sharapova 6-0 6-2.
Now the 5ft 3in (1.61m) Cibulkova must tackle another mighty figure in the shape of world number one and top seed Dinara Safina, who reached her second successive semi-final with a 1-6 6-4 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka.
Sharapova, a three-time Grand Slam title winner, but who has never got beyond the last four in Paris, was playing just her second tournament following a 10-month lay-off to recover from a shoulder injury.
Yesterday's loss was Sharapova's heaviest defeat since she went down 6-1, 6-1 to Serena Williams in the fourth round in Miami in 2007.
Azarenka had defeated Safina for the first and only time in four previous meetings on her way to the Miami title in March and the 19-year-old came out firing, spearing a succession of flat, deep, forehand and backhand winners.
Three breaks of serve gave the leggy blonde the opening set after just 21 minutes.
But Safina was in control of the rest of the tie and wrapped up her 19th win in her last 20 claycourt ties.