Day - 8

COMEBACK KING

Roger Federer rallied from a two-set deficit on Monday to keep his French Open bid alive. The Swiss star almost followed the Nadal route but the win was the fifth one coming back from a two-set deficit. Less than 24 hours after nemesis Rafael Nadal was eliminated, Federer outlasted German Tommy Haas 6-7 (4), 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in the pre-quarters.

The French Open is the only major event Federer has yet to win, and he has been beaten by Nadal at Roland Garros four years in a row, the past three times in the final. But with the path to the title cleared of the No 1-ranked Nadal, No 2 Federer struggled to take advantage.

The erratic form that has plagued Federer was again a problem for portions of the first three sets. But with the centre court crowd firmly behind the Swiss, he mounted a comeback that had his fans roaring.

Federer won nine consecutive games to even the match and swept the final five games. He hit a service winner on match point, then leaped and screamed in jubilation.

The victory was the fifth of his career after trailing by two sets. The five-set match was his first at Roland Garros since 2001, and he improved to 14-12 in five-set matches.
For the fourth year in a row, Federer is trying to become only the sixth man to win all four major championships. His total of 13 Grand Slam titles is one shy of Pete Sampras’ record. As was the case because of Nadal’s loss on Sunday, other results became a footnote.

Serena Williams dispensed with any drama, extending her Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches by beating Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 6-2. It was a straightforward, 53-minute victory, in contrast to Williams’ previous match, when she accused her opponent of cheating and had a coughing fit during a changeover.

Somehow, Federer managed to lose the opening set despite winning every service point - 24 in a row - until the tiebreaker. The first break of the match put him ahead 2-1 in the second set, but he gave it back, then hit several nervous points serving at 5-6 to lose that game and dig a deep hole.

Haas led 4-3 in the pivotal third set and was a point from serving for the match, but Federer hit a forehand winner and went on to hold. In the next game, Haas had a 40-15 lead but then made four consecutive unforced errors, including a double-fault, to drop serve for the second time. The 31-year-old German lost to Federer for the eighth time in a row.

On the women’s side, Williams will next play No 7-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian, winner of the 2004 US Open, advanced by beating No 12 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.

"I feel like I have nothing to lose," Williams said. "This is when everything counts, you know. I have to pick up my level and play again a really good, strong match, especially playing somebody like Svetlana who is a great claycourt player". In another men’s match Spain’s Tommy Robredo, the 16th seed, reached the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over German 29th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Federer now tries to reach the semifinals at a 20th Grand Slam event in a row, which would extend his own record, when he meets 11th-seeded Gael Monfils of France, a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 winner over No. 6 Andy Roddick, the last American man in the tournament.

Federer is 4-0 against Monfils, including a victory in the French Open semifinals a year ago. Monfils dominated Roddick, even out-acing him 17-4, and Roddick began complaining in the second set that it was too dark to see.

“Don’t tell me what’s OK and what’s not,” the 2003 U.S. Open champion snapped at chair umpire Enric Molina. “You’re not the one playing.”

It was the day’s last match on Court Suzanne Lenglen, and the start was delayed by No. 5 Jelena Jankovic’s loss to the 41st-ranked Sorana Cirstea of Romania 3-6, 6-0, 9-7, which lasted 2 hours, 44 minutes.

“It wasn’t easy at the end,” said Cirstea, two points from defeat when Jankovic served for the match at 5-4, 30-love in the third set. “I saw she was tired, also. So I knew it was also a little bit mental: Who is going to stay stronger?”

Elsewhere, 2002 champion Serena Williams beat No. 24 Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-1, 6-2; No. 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated No. 12 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 1-6, 6-1; and No. 30 Samantha Stosur beat Virginie Razzano of France 6-1, 6-2.

“This,” Williams said, “is when everything counts.”

No one knows that better than Federer, whose 13 major championships are one shy of Pete Sampras’ record. With Nadal, Roddick and No. 4 Novak Djokovic all gone, Federer is the only man left with a Grand Slam title.

“For a lot of players,” Federer said, “I think it must be quite a big opportunity, and their heads must be spinning right now.”

The other matchup on his half of the draw is No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina against No. 16 Tommy Robredo of Spain—two men who are a combined 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals. Del Potro beat No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, and Robredo eliminated No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

“Expectations? Everyone has expectations, even myself,” Robredo said.


There are two ways to look at what Nadal’s loss means for Federer. A potential obstacle is out of the way. And now Federer is expected to win the title, which could be a burden.

Dating to 2005, Federer is 0-4 against Nadal at the French Open, 27-0 against everyone else.

“It kicks the door open for Roger, but suddenly: ‘Yeah, step up.’ Now the pressure’s really on,” three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander said. “The pressure before was to just give Nadal a good match. Now, it’s like, ‘Hey, listen, if you can’t win it now, then you’re definitely not considered the greatest player of all time—until you do.”’

Asked about Nadal, Federer joked: “Um, he didn’t retire, right?”

“My dream scenario is to beat Rafa here in the finals,” Federer continued, “but I’ve got to concentrate on my part of the draw and make sure I come through like today.”

Good as he was at the start against Haas—Federer won the first 24 points on his serve—there were moments when his signature forehand let him down. Federer missed two in a row to fall behind in the opening tiebreaker.

When Haas took the second set, too, the prospect of the No. 2-seeded Federer following No. 1 Nadal on the way out was a distinct possibility. Then came the third-set point both Federer and Haas considered pivotal: With Federer serving at 3-4, 30-40—five points from losing—he ran around his backhand side for an inside-out forehand winner that landed right near a line.

“We both knew there was a chance for me to finish him off,” Haas said. “Just got to tip your hat and say, ‘That’s why he’s Roger Federer.”’