PARIS: Roger Federer narrowly avoided joining Rafael Nadal on the Roland Garros scrapheap when he battled back to defeat Germany's Tommy Haas 6-7 (4/7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the French Open quarterfinals yesterday.
The second seed, still needing a French Open to become only the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam, will now face either American sixth seed Andy Roddick or Gael Monfils, the 11th-seeded Frenchman, for a place in the semifinals.
It was Federer's fifth career recovery from a two-set deficit and he did it for the second Grand Slam in succession, after the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych had been 2-0 ahead in their Australian Open fourth-round tie.
But having seen four-time champion Nadal, the man who has beaten him in the last three finals, sensationally suffer his first defeat in Paris on Sunday, Federer came dangerously close to seeing his lifetime dream also evaporate.
At two sets to love, 31-year-old Haas had a break point in the eighth game of the third set which, had he seized it, would have given him the chance to serve for the match.
But Federer, who hasn't failed to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since his third-round loss to Gustavo Kuerten here in 2004, saved it with a forehand pass and the German began to wilt with the Swiss reeling off 14 of the last 16 games.
Federer admitted his opponent's failure to convert that break point at 4-3 in the third set was crucial.
"I felt that it could be the turning point, it was an incredibly important moment. I was really relieved after that," said the 13-time Grand Slam title winner.
"I was playing badly at the start and my shots weren't finding the target."
Federer said the defeats of Nadal as well as fourth seed Novak Djokovic had been surprising. "They caused such a shock in the locker room."
Source:China Daily/Agencies
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