Jack Draper will play in his first Masters 1000 quarter-final after his opponent Gael Monfils retired injured midway through their last-16 match at the Canadian Open on Thursday.
The 20-year-old claimed the biggest win of his career over world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round on Thursday morning and was a set up against Monfils when the Frenchman limped to the net in the third game of the second set and conceded defeat.
Monfils, 35, collapsed, prompting Draper to cross the court to help him into a chair as the Frenchman cried out in agony.
At that point Monfils was a break up in the second set against the British No 4 at 2-0 – but it had been another impressive display from Draper who seized both break-point chances against the Frenchman in the first set, winning it 6- 2.
The Briton, ranked No 82 in the world before this tournament, will now play Pablo Carreno Busta, the former world No 10, in the last eight.
The left-hander – who before this week had beaten only one top-20 player this year – can now dream of being seeded at the US Open later this month if he wins the tournament in Montreal. He is already guaranteed a place in the main draw at Flushing Meadows.
It continues a breakthrough year for the south Londoner after he reached the second round at Wimbledon, broke into the top 100, and won four titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.
He could face Dan Evans in the last four after the Brit saw off Taylor Fritz for the second time in a week to reach the last eight in Montreal.
Evans won a tight first set on a tie break and was blitzed 6-1 in the second set before recovering to win the third 7-5.
The British No 2 beat Fritz last week at the Citi Open in Washington DC after the American retired with illness. Fritz, the No 10 seed, knocked out Andy Murray on Tuesday.
Evans will now face Tommy Paul, the American world No 24, in his first ATP Masters quarter-final since his run to the last four in Monte Carlo last year.
There was disappointment for Britain’s Cameron Norrie, though, who lost in straight sets to home favorite Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Norrie, the Wimbledon semi-finalist, could not force a single break point against the Canadian No 6 seed, who won 92 per cent of points on his first serve in a 6-3, 6-4 win.
The British No 1, who saw off Auger-Aliassime in the Los Cabos semi-final last week in Mexico, served five double faults and no aces.
Auger-Aliassime will now face Casper Ruud, the No 4 seed, in the last eight.
World No 1 Iga Swiatek was knocked out in the last 16 by Beatriz Haddad Maia, who won 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Coco Gauff, the No 10 seed, is into the quarter-final after beating Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-4, 7-6, while Simona Halep defeated Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-2, 7-5.