PARIS: All the complaints about lousy weather, windy courts and rotten schedules were forgotten as the sun finally shone on birthday boy Rafa Nadal’s pursuit of a record eighth French Open title yesterday.
Nadal spent the first week labeling Paris “too cold,” the Philippe Chatrier Court “too windy” and the playing schedule “a joke” after three wobbly performances but he was all smiles as the mercury finally crept over the 20 degrees Celsius mark for the first time in this year’s event.
The Spaniard, bidding to become the first player to win the same major eight times, took a step closer to a possible semifinal blockbuster against Novak Djokovic with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 last-16 win over Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
After the fans serenaded Nadal by singing ‘Happy Birthday’, the 27-year-old smiled sheepishly as organizers wheeled out a giant four-tier cake decorated with rackets, golden tennis balls and an array of sparklers.
Djokovic was in sparkling form during the final three sets of his clash with Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Kohlschreiber earned the distinction of becoming the first player to win a set off Djokovic at the tournament but that was as good as it got for the German.
Djokovic, who left Roland Garros in tears two days ago after learning about the death of his first coach Jelena Gencic, kept his emotions in check for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win.
Swiss ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka reached his first French Open quarterfinal beating French seventh seed Richard Gasquet, 6-7 (5/7), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6.
Wawrinka goes on to face defending champion Nadal for a place in the semifinals after coming through a four-hour 16min struggle.
It was his sixth career comeback from two sets to love down.
With Roger Federer already into the last-eight, it will be the first time that Switzerland has two men in the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
Gasquet was defeated for the 15th time in 16 matches at the fourth round stage of a Grand Slam.
Both players needed medical treatment — Wawrinka on his right hamstring and Gasquet on his left thigh. Wawrinka fired 92 winners in the match.
Defending champion Maria Sharapova cantered into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over American 17th seed Sloane Stephens.
Second seeded Sharapova triumphed in 1hr 29min and now faces either Serbian 18th seed Jelena Jankovic or US hope Jamie Hampton.
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, overcame early resistance from a rival she had beaten twice in as many previous meetings as a crunching pair of forehands saw her take the opening set in 37min.
Australian Open champion Azarenka’s clash with 2010 Roland Garros winner Francesca Schiavone had been billed as the pick of the fourth-round showdowns but it failed to draw in the crowds.
The discerning Parisian fans chose to turn a deaf year to the ear-splitting sounds emitted out of Philippe Chatrier Court first thing in the morning as third seed Azarenka completed a 6-3, 6-0 win to set up a last-eight date with Russian Maria Kirilenko.
A short hop away on Suzanne Lenglen Court, another German, Tommy Haas, proved that there was plenty of life left in his 35-year-old limbs as he raced past a tormented Youzhny 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 to become the oldest Roland Garros quarter-finalist since Istvan Gulyas in 1971.
Haas tops a list of 30-somethings to reach the last eight after he joined a trio of 31-year-olds — Roger Federer and Spanish warriors Tommy Robredo and David Ferrer — with his 84-minute demolition of Youzhny.
While it is the first time in 44 years that four men on the wrong side of 30 have made it so far at Roland Garros, the quartet have still some way to go if they are to match the feat of Australia’s Ken Rosewall, who won the last of his eight grand slam singles title aged 37.
“We all just are smarter, about how you train, about how you eat, about how you do your recovery,” said 12th seed Haas, who was ranked second in the world in 2002 before injuries ravaged his body.
“The physical and fitness areas have improved a lot in sports in general. I think that’s why you see maybe more people also in the early, mid 30s doing well.”
