As he continues his run through the 2013 French Open field with visions of returning to a second-consecutive Open Final, top-seeded Novak Djokovic will face his toughest opponent yet when he meets No. 12 Tommy Haas in the Quarterfinal round.
When and Where To Watch Quarterfinal Match
With the winner slated to play either Rafael Nadal or Stanislas Wawrinka in the semifinals, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and talented German Tommy Haas will meet on Friday, June 5 at 10:00 a.m., EDT in the quarterfinal round. Television coverage will be provided by ESPN2 with an on-line live stream available through ESPN3.com. Event coverage will begin at 8:00am.
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Road to the Quarterfinals - Novak Djokovic
Six-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is no stranger to success on the biggest stages and his confidence continues to soar through four rounds at this year's French Open. Looking to avenge a four-set loss to Rafael Nadal is last year's French Open Final, Djokovic started his quest with a somewhat sluggish 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 defeat of David Goffin.
Matched up against Argentine lefty Guido Pella in the second round, the 2013 Australian Open champion disposed of his competitor in convincing fashion, sweeping the 23-year-old in three sets 6-2, 6-0, 6-2. Novak's third round opponent didn't pose much of a threat to his title run either.
Meeting No. 26 Grigor Dimitrov, Djokovic had his way throughout the match and completely dominated points off his first serve, winning 39 of 48 initial service points. With the 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 victory, the Serbian superstar once again found himself in the fourth round of the French Open with a trip to the quarterfinals in reach.
Heading into his fourth round match with Philipp Kohlschreiber, Djokovic received devastating news that his first-ever tennis coach, Jelena Gencic, died in Belgrade at the age of 76. Gencic began coaching the superstar when he was six years old and she is considered a tremendous part of Djokovic's professional success.
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Showing his emotions through some understandable sadness, Djokovic dropped his first set of the tournament 4-6 to Kohlschreiber but elevated his play as the match continues, eventually putting the German away in four sets. Following the match, the top-ranked player in the world sad he was mostly pleased with his performance and happy to advance to his 16th-consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal.
"It was tough today against a player who has a lot of ability, especially on clay," Djokovic said to the crowd following the match. "It wasn't easy for me, but I turned around the match. I played well after the first set, so I'm very happy."
Road to the Quarterfinals - Tommy Haas
While Novak Djokovic has enjoyed tremendous success so far in the 2013 French Open, No. 12 Tommy Haas is capable of continuing a strong run of his own.
Blitzing through his first two opponents -- Guillaume Rufin and Jack Sock -- Haas found himself in a third round match-up with American John Isner. Taking the opening set 7-5 and winning the second frame 7-6 (7-4 tiebreak), Haas found himself in a tough battle but seemed to be in control with the early two-set advantage.
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Isner simply did not go away, taking the third set 6-4 and in similar fashion to Haas in the second set, Isner took the fourth set 7-6, a frame that was determined in another tiebreaker. Needing the set to send the match to a fifth and final set, Isner poured everything he had into a lengthy session, ultimately winning the frame 12-10.
The fifth set was tight as well, but unforced errors ultimately told the story. While Haas made a total of nine individual mistakes in the final set, Isner totaled 15 unforced errors and although the hard-hitting American was able to extend the match, he ultimately bowed out to the 12th-seeded German 10-8, in what was certainly one of the best matches in any tournament this season.
Quarterfinal Wrap-Up
With a trip to the 2013 French Open semifinals on the line, two of the best players in the world will meet in what should be a grueling yet entertaining tennis match.
Be sure to catch No. 1 Novak Djokovic battle No. 12 Tommy Haas on Wednesday, May 5 at 10:00 a.m., EDT. Television coverage will be provided by ESPN2 with an online live stream available through ESPN3.com. All coverage on the mentioned outlets will begin at 8:00am.
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