Stefanos Tsitsipas’ erratic progress came to an unexpected end in the fourth round of the French Open, when he fell to 19-year-old Dane Holger Rune in four sets.

Tsitsipas seemed to have recovered from his first two games of the Grand Slam tournament – a draining five-set win against Lorenzo Musetti in the first round, followed by a tough encounter against Zdenek Kolar which he won in four hard sets – to cruise past Sweden’s Mikael Ymer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in Saturday’s third-round game.

Rune proved to be a different proposition winning the first set 7-5 only for the Greek world number five to take back the second set 3-6. But Rune won the next two sets 6-3, 6-4 to progress to the quarter finals.

He dealt Tsitsipas a barrage of drop shots which he later said were executed to upset his opponent’s rhythm. His powerful ground strokes also proved effective against the Greek.

“I was very nervous but at the same time I know if I go away from the tactics against a player like Stefanos, I would lose for sure, so I told myself just to keep on playing in the tough moments and it worked out so well at the end,” Rune told Marion Bartoli after the match.

“I had to play really fast and take time away from him and I really like playing the drop shot so it’s fun to play and it worked out pretty good.”

Tsitsipas who won in Monaco a few weeks ago said he was philosophical about his loss to young players like Rune and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, also 19, to whom he lost in Barcelona.

“It has to come at some point, it comes to everyone, right? I’m not worried, I know my game. These kids want to beat me badly because they are chasing,” Tsitsipas said.

“I am chasing too, but I am in a different position than they are. I’m hungry to beat them too and now that they have beat me I want payback.”

Rune will face Norwegian Casper Ruud in the quarter finals. Alcaraz Garfia’s quarter final opponent is Alexander Zverev. It is the first time since 1994 that two teenagers have advanced into the quarter finals of a grand slam tournament.

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas’ nemesis, Danniil Medvedev, also crashed out in the fourth round, falling to Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.