Rafael Nadal of Spain looks at his birthday cake after winning his match against Kei Nishikori of Japan at the French Open at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris yesterday. Nadal, who turned 27 earned his second straight sets victory in succession as his challenge for an eighth French Open title gathered pace with a 6-4 6-1 6-3 defeat of Nishikori.
PARIS: World number one Novak Djokovic reached his 16th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final while seven-time champion Rafael Nadal marked his 27th birthday by also reaching the French Open last eight yesterday.
Top seed Djokovic carved out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over 16th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber with the German paying a high price for converting just two of 13 break points.
World number one Djokovic goes on to face German 35-year-old Tommy Haas, who became the third oldest man to reach the last-eight with a comfortable 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 win over volatile Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
Nadal, bidding to become the first man to win the same Grand Slam title eight times, trounced Japanese 13th seed Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.
It was third-seeded Nadal’s 56th win in 57 career matches at Roland Garros.
The defending champion next faces Swiss ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka who reached his first French Open quarter-final, beating French seventh seed Richard Gasquet, 6-7 (5/7), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6.
“I needed to earn my victory, and in the end it was good. I’m really glad to get through, because he’s a good quality opponent and he’s a specialist for this surface,” said Djokovic of Kohlschreiber.
On facing 12th-seeded Haas, against whom he has a 4-3 winning record, the Serb said: “I have a lot of respect for Tommy. He is playing well.”
Djokovic, the runner-up to Nadal last year, needs a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam.
Nadal arrived in Paris having collected six titles in eight finals since his return from a seven-month injury lay-off.
But he was sluggish in the first week of a cold and damp Paris, losing the opening set of his first two matches. Since the weather has improved, so has the Spaniard, seeing off Fabio Fognini in straight sets on Saturday and then comfortably defeating Nishikori, the first Japanese man in the fourth round since Fumiteru Nakano in 1938.
“It’s a very special moment,” said Nadal, as the crowd welcomed him to Court Philippe Chatrier by singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and repeating it on the match’s conclusion.
“Today I think I played my best match of the tournament.”
Nadal was presented with a giant birthday cake and he will be looking for more celebrations on Wednesday in the quarter-finals as he holds a 9-0 career lead over Wawrinka.
Haas became the first German in 17 years to reach the quarter-finals and the oldest man to make the last eight at any Grand Slam since Andre Agassi at the 2005 US Open.
Haas had also made history in the third round when he needed a record 13 match points to beat John Isner.
Wawrinka came through a four hour 16min struggle to beat Gasquet in his sixth career comeback from two sets to love down.
In the women’s event, defending champion Maria Sharapova joined third seed Victoria Azarenka in the French Open quarter-finals as both posted routine fourth-round wins.
Sharapova was all business in seeing off American 17th seed Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3 to set up a meeting with 18th seed Jelena Jankovic, while double Australian Open champion Azarenka swamped 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 6-0.
Sharapova, who in beating Sara Errani in last year’s final became the sixth player in the Open era to complete a full collection of Grand Slams, was rarely troubled by Stephens, Australian Open semi-finalist last January, the Floridian 20-year-old gifting her a final break by hitting long on match point.
“I knew this was going to be a really hard match so I’m delighted to be in the quarter-final,” said Sharapova, who now has an extra day to relax.”
She added: “Am I pleased to have finished my match a day before my next opponent? We don’t choose the scheduling, it just depends how it goes. I’m just pleased to be through to the next round.”
Next up for Azarenka is a meeting with Russian 12th seed Maria Kirilenko after her win over Schiavone moved her into the last eight for the third time in Paris. AFP
