Emilien “Emi” Burnel’s time at the Veolia Chicago Cup nearly ended on Monday, where both of his men’s singles qualifying matches went to deciding games.

Once the 25-year-old master’s student got through that, the journey didn’t get any easier; his first main draw opponent on Tuesday was Hunter Johnson, who had taken gold in Las Vegas just two days prior.

But Burnel didn’t blink, beating the No. 3 seed 13-11, 5-11, 11-9 in a stunning Round of 64 upset.

After a straightforward 11-3, 11-1 win over No. 27 seed Mota Alhouni on Wednesday, Burnel arrived at his Round of 16 clash with JW Johnson with nothing to lose.

It seemed like Burnel’s dream run might be nearing its end when he got down 1-6 in the deciding game of that contest, but he came roaring back and ended the match on a 10-1 run to surge into the quarterfinals.

And after yet another three-game win over 15-year-old Cam Chaffin on Friday, the No. 55 seed is into Semifinal Saturday.

Originally from France, Burnel was a standout tennis player the University of Texas—Rio Grande Valley. He is currently based in St. Louis and plans to pursue pickleball full-time in 2027.

Based on this week, that seems like a good idea.

Burnel will look to slay another giant—this one, in the form of top seed Chris Haworth—on Saturday.

Catch the action on Pickleballtv, starting at noon CT.