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| Federer had to produce his best to fight back against Simon |
Roland Garros 2013 Day 8: Federer survives Simon scare
Men’s Singles
French No.1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga delighted his home crowd by comfortably moving through to his second French Open quarter final with a straightforward 6-3 6-3 6-3 defeat of Viktor Troicki.
Moving through to the last eight with an even greater ease was David Ferrer as the fourth seed ruthlessly dispatched Kevin Anderson 6-3 6-1 6-1.
In the quarters Ferrer will face another Spaniard in his 30s as Tommy Robredo scored his third consecutive victory from two sets to love down as he stunned Nicolas Almagro 6-7(5-7) 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-4.
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| An emotional Robredo went to the well once more |
No.11 seed Almagro lead 4-1 in the third set, 4-2 in the fourth set and 2-0 in the fifth set but was pegged back each time by his older compatriot who claimed an emotional victory.
Women’s Singles
Top seed Serena Williams came through her biggest challenge of the championships so far but still had too much for 15th seed Roberta Vinci coming through 6-1 6-3.
The Italian stayed on serve for the first seven games of set two but Williams crucially broke in the eighth game and served out for a spot in her eighth Roland Garros quarter final.
Awaiting the 2002 champion in the last eight will be 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova who came through a topsy turvy encounter against eighth seed Angelique Kerber 6-4 4-6 6-3.
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| Kuznetsova was up and down but battled hard |
The German broke first in the seventh game of the first set but the Russian former World No.2 responded with a run of three games to take the set and then moved ahead 2-0 in the second.
Kerber fought back and, with some of her trademark running forehands down the line, won seven of the following nine games to level and move ahead an initial break in the decider.
The final swing of the pendulum went Kuznetsova’s way as the two-time major winner reeled off four games to take control and closed out a hard fought victory after two hours and 21 minutes.
The other former champion in action did not make it through as 2008 winner Ana Ivanovic was frustrated by the defence and skill of 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska as the Pole won 6-2 6-4 to book a place in her first French Open quarter final.
There Radwanska will face 2012 finalist Sara Errani as the Italian No.1 overcame a stomach injury and an in form opponent but fought from a set and a break down to defeat Carla Suarez Navarro 5-7 6-4 6-3.
Match of the Day: Federer (2) vs Simon (15)
2009 champion Roger Federer extended his historic record streak of consecutive Grand Slam quarter finals to 36 but not before suffering a huge scare against 15th seeded Gilles Simon.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner was dominant in the opener taking it 6-1 although the final game was a sign of things to come as it took him six set points before breaking the Frenchman. The Swiss second seed hit a dazzling forehand winner around the net post on the penultimate point.
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| Simon was at his absolute best |
Federer had beaten Simon 6-1 6-2 in Rome but had been seriously troubled by him in the past.
On the final point of the sixth game Federer suffered an uncharacteristic fall and it appeared to rattle the 31 year-old and Simon raised his level to break for 4-3.
Two games later Federer sent a backhand long and the match was all square at a set all.
Simon maintained his high level with a run from five games – including two breaks – from 1-2 in the third to move into a two sets to one lead and a major shock looked a possibility.
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| Mutual respect at the end of a superb contest |
The fourth set was tight early on but from 2-2 the Swiss player took over and rattled off seven straight games to level up and take control of the decider.
The Frenchman kept it to a single break and held two break points when Federer served for the match but could not convert as Federer produced some of his best serving.
Federer took victory on his second match point to bring home a 6-1 4-6 2-6 6-2 6-3 win.
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