Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga said he was overwhelmed with a wave of emotion after his 7-5, 6-0, 7-6 win over 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny in the Australian Open [ Images ] quarter-finals on Tuesday.

- Bhupathi-Sania in mixed semis | Images

Tsonga reached his first Grand Slam semi-final and collapsed to the ground on Rod Laver Arena before leaping around pumping his arms with joy.

"It's like I wanted to cry, I wanted to smile, I wanted everything," he told reporters. "It's a lot of emotion. I had a lot of images in my head, and it's very big for me."

The world number 38 used his powerful serve and booming groundstrokes to upset ninth seed Andy Murray [ Images ] in the first round and he beat his compatriot and eighth seed Richard Gasquet to reach the last eight.

The 22-year-old Frenchman, who has never won a tour singles title, has overcome a succession of back and shoulder injuries and will meet second seed Rafael Nadal [ Images ] in the semi-finals at Melbourne [ Images ] Park.

"I have played him once before at the US Open [ Images ]," Tsonga said. "He is a different player but he has two arms and two legs like me. I will try to stay relaxed on court."