ERNESTS GULBIS CONDEMNED Roger Federer to his worst French Open defeat in a decade today.
Gulbis, the controversial Latvian, beat the fourth seeded 2009 champion 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 as Federer, 32, suffered his earliest loss in Paris since 2004 when he was demolished in the third round by Gustavo Kuerten.
Victory would have put Federer into a record 42nd Grand Slam quarter-final and 10th in a row in Paris, but 25-year-old Gulbis showed no fear as he set up a last-eight clash against Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych.
He unleashed 13 aces and 53 winners with Federer undone by an uncharacteristic 59 unforced errors as he lost a five-setter in Paris for the first time.
“I was all over the place,” admitted Federer. “I am disappointed not to win. I have a lot of regrets.
“But he did a good job of hanging around and coming back. I knew what to expect, I know how he plays. I just wish I could have played better.”
Gulbis, who took a controversial medical timeout at 2-5 down in the fourth set, was delighted by his win.
Tough
“It’s the biggest win of my career,” said the Latvian, whose only other Grand Slam quarter-final appearance came in Paris in 2008.
“It was a tough match and I’m sorry as I know that most of you wanted Roger to win.”
Gulbis, the 18th seed, was a break ahead in the first set at 4-2 before Federer retrieved it in the seventh game. The Latvian was also a mini-break to the good in the tiebreaker but still could not convert.
After surrendering the advantage of an early break again in the second set, Gulbis was warned for breaking his racquet by stamping it into the Paris dirt.
However, his pressure on Federer eventually yielded rewards in the second set tiebreak and then in the third set through which he romped with breaks in the sixth and eighth games.
Federer wasn’t finished as Gulbis, as so often in his colourful career, went spectacularly off the boil with the Swiss levelling the contest by taking the fourth set.
The Latvian incurred the wrath of the pro-Federer centre court crowd when he took a medical timeout to treat lower back pain at 2-5 down.
He thrived on the atmosphere, upping the pace and the seven-year age gap between the two men told on Federer who was quickly 3-0 down in the decider.
Gulbis set up two match points with his 13th ace and claimed his famous victory when Federer slapped a backhand wide.
It was a sobering loss for Federer whose last three appearances in Paris have resulted in steadily diminishing returns with a semi-final loss in 2012 followed by a quarter-final exit last year and then Sunday’s fourth round exit.
The Swiss legend’s exit ensured Jo-Wilfried Tsonga would be only the second biggest name to exit Roland Garros today as Novak Djokovic swept into quarter-finals with a one-sided 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 win over the home favourite.
The second seed, seeking in Paris to become just the eighth man in history to complete the career Grand Slam, hardly broke sweat as Tsonga struggled in vain to find his length and timing.
The Serb set the tone by winning the first five games of the keenly anticipated fourth round tie before Tsonga managed to get on the scorecard.
And when he broke twice early in the second, it was already clear that Tsonga was heading for the exit door much to the dismay of the Parisian crowd.
“It was a very good match for me. I prepared well tactically with my team,” Djokovic said.
“I started with much intensity and quality and I am very happy with my game today.”When I play in the Grand Slam events — the biggest in our sport — I am inspired to play my best tennis. I just hope I can continue with this into next week.”
Djokovic will play eighth seed Milos Raonic for a place in the semi-finals, having edged the Canadian in three sets in the Rome quarter-finals last month.
Djokovic has now reached the last eight in 20 straight Grand Slam events dating back to Wimbledon 2009 — the third best record in Grand Slam history.
His best showing to date at Roland Garros was a run into the 2012 final when he lost in four sets to Rafael Nadal.
Tsonga’s exit means that just one Frenchman remains in contention at Roland Garros this year — Gael Monfils, who plays Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the fourth round on Monday.
