Haas packs off Djokovic, Serena too strong for Li
Source: Agencies |
March 28, 2013, Thursday
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MOMENTS before the match, Tommy Haas sat in his courtside chair jiggling his legs, eager to face the world's No. 1-ranked player and old enough to know such chances don't often come along.
Haas took advantage, beating three-time champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the Sony Open 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday. The upset snapped Djokovic's 14-match winning streak at Key Biscayne, where he won the tournament in the past two years.
Eight days shy of his 35th birthday, Haas became the oldest man in 30 years to beat a No. 1 player. "Playing against someone like Novak and coming out on top at this time of my career, it's unbelievable," Haas said. "This is what I play for."
Haas improved to 2-14 versus No. 1 players. The German's only other win came against Andre Agassi in 1999.
The top-ranked Djokovic has lost two of his past four matches after winning 22 in a row, including the Australian Open for his sixth grand slam title.
"All credit to Tommy," Djokovic said. "He played a great match and he was the better player, no question about it."
The oldest player in the top 50, Haas is making his 13th appearance at Key Biscayne and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time. His opponent will be Gilles Simon of France, who rallied past Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer skipping the tournament, Djokovic's defeat clears a path for Andy Murray, the 2009 champion and 2012 runner-up.
He topped Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-2, 6-4 and will play Croat Marin Cilic, who beat France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-5, 7-6 (4).
On the women's side, five-time Key Biscayne champion Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals by beating No. 5-seeded Li Na 6-3, 7-6 (5).
The American had to rally from 2-5 down in the second set.
"I realized I was down. It was just one point at a time after that," said the world No. 1 Williams. "The tiebreak was good, it just came down to one point at the end."
Williams' opponent will be defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska, the Pole rallying past Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Haas took advantage, beating three-time champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the Sony Open 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday. The upset snapped Djokovic's 14-match winning streak at Key Biscayne, where he won the tournament in the past two years.
Eight days shy of his 35th birthday, Haas became the oldest man in 30 years to beat a No. 1 player. "Playing against someone like Novak and coming out on top at this time of my career, it's unbelievable," Haas said. "This is what I play for."
Haas improved to 2-14 versus No. 1 players. The German's only other win came against Andre Agassi in 1999.
The top-ranked Djokovic has lost two of his past four matches after winning 22 in a row, including the Australian Open for his sixth grand slam title.
"All credit to Tommy," Djokovic said. "He played a great match and he was the better player, no question about it."
The oldest player in the top 50, Haas is making his 13th appearance at Key Biscayne and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time. His opponent will be Gilles Simon of France, who rallied past Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer skipping the tournament, Djokovic's defeat clears a path for Andy Murray, the 2009 champion and 2012 runner-up.
He topped Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-2, 6-4 and will play Croat Marin Cilic, who beat France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-5, 7-6 (4).
On the women's side, five-time Key Biscayne champion Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals by beating No. 5-seeded Li Na 6-3, 7-6 (5).
The American had to rally from 2-5 down in the second set.
"I realized I was down. It was just one point at a time after that," said the world No. 1 Williams. "The tiebreak was good, it just came down to one point at the end."
Williams' opponent will be defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska, the Pole rallying past Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
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