Djokovic and Federer set to proceed to French Open quarterfinals

Day eight of the 2012 French Open kicked off a storm as world number one and three, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer respectively, were given a scare. Both the dominant forces of the men’s tour have looked inconsistent since their debut in Paris this year and this was evidently on display on Sunday.

The Serbian native struggled against the ever-improving Andreas Seppi of Italy but managed to conquer a gripping fourth round encounter, 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.

The crowd was always on their feet, watching the top seed rally from two sets down to clinch the victory. The last time Djokovic played this way was back in last year’s U.S. Open semifinals against the now struggling Federer.

“I think he was a better player for the first two sets, definitely,” Djokovic said of Seppi.

Although showcasing an epic match, Seppi felt there was room for improvement.

“I didn’t have such a good start [to the third set],” reflected Seppi. “Maybe if I could stay in front or so in the third set, it could change a little bit.”

In what was a gripping match with the world number 25, the Djoker converted nine break points, the most significant being at 4-2 in the final set and holding from there to secure the win. His net skills were also effective with 76 per cent of his points coming from moving forward.

Djokovic has advanced to the quarterfinals against French hopeful Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland who will continue their delayed match Monday.

Meanwhile, Wawrinka’s compatriot, Roger Federer, too recovered from a nervy start to prevail against Belgium sensation David Goffin for a quarterfinal birth. Goffin, who idolized Federer as a child, tested the former world number one. His luck, however, came to an end after a promising start, succumbing 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4.

Federer recorded a 32nd consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance, leveling Andre Agassi’s 36 appearances in the last eight.

“I thought he played really well. Great impression,” said Federer.

Despite his heart-breaking loss, Goffin still remained upbeat after the match.
“I started very well early in the match. I give all my best during all the match.”

In a match lasting two hours and 54 minutes, Federer fired an impressive 12 aces past the young Belgian, yet winning 82 per cent of his first serve points were equally as good. He progresses to a quarterfinal showdown against Tomas Berdych or Juan Martin del Potro, two players who will face-off today.


Written by Matthew Bolton