French duo Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard lost to Alex De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti respectively on Monday to end French interests in the men's singles draw at Wimbledon.
Fils, 20, went down 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 to the ninth seed from Australia while Musetti outwitted Mpetshi Perricard 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and three minutes.
"I've been dreaming of this moment since I was a child," said 22-year-old Musetti who reached the last eight for the first time at one of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
"I've always had a beautiful family who have always supported me in the pursuit of my dream," added the 25th seed.
During the French Open in Paris last month, Musetti lost a tumultuous match in the third round against the defending champion Novak Djokovic.
And he was initially out of sorts against Mpetshi Perricard who had dispatched the 20th seed Sebastian Korda in the first round after entering the main draw as a lucky loser.
He more than rode his good fortune in that encounter against the American. He served 51 aces during his surge to the second round and there were a further 54 daces during the matches against Yoshihito Nishioka from Japan and the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori.
But in the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard appeared too hasty in the baseline exchanges.
Musetti, renowned for his flamboyant shot-making, showed greater calm and maturity to restore parity and eventually take control of the match.
Run
De Minaur entered his tie against Fils seeking revenge for a defeat on the clay courts at the Barcelona Open in April.
The 25-year-old Australian was a break up in the third set against a man playing in the last-16 at a major for the first time.
Seemingly poised for a straightforward victory, De Minaur allowed Fils to claim four consecutive games to snatch the set.
However, De Minaur, who also reached the last eight at the French Open, reimposed his authority in the fourth.
“I made it a lot harder than I should have but am happy to get through," he said. "It was a great job mentally to get through it."
