“I respect all the players, and especially all the players who have made deep runs in the tournament”. She has been in this situation before and should beat Bertens.
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Prediction: I will take Bacszinsky in three sets. She hit a crisp backhand victor on her second match point for the victory.
Thiem will play David Goffin next, after the 12th seed became just the second Belgian man (Filip Dewulf was the first) to reach the French Open quarter-finals when he defeated Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
What isn’t is the number of grand slams Williams possesses: 21.
Prediction: I’ll say Goffin takes it in five, although I’m not sure about that one.
Williams, however, relinquished the advantage and needed to save two break points at 4-4.
The Serbian appeared to let the conditions get to him in the first set on Tuesday, but, although never finding his best form, he was mentally tuned in thereafter.
“The first few games she made some errors”, Williams said, “and in the last 12 games, I made all the errors”.
Serena Williams could feel her French Open hopes slipping away before mounting a fightback to defeat Yulia Putintseva in the quarter-finals. “They pushed us to play two hours yesterday”. Goffin stormed back to 7-6 to earn a set point but Thiem won three straight points.
The two were competing in the quarterfinals of a major tournament for the first time and are also good friends.
Djokovic will be hoping he does not face another soggy day as he will be back in action on Thursday to contest his 28th successive major quarterfinal against Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych, a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 victor over 2013 runner-up David Ferrer.
Goffin failed to serve out the second set and Thiem subsequently led 5-2 and 6-5 in the tiebreak.
“I’m very pleased to be in semifinals of another Grand Slam”, Djokovic said after reaching his 30th major semifinal.
The Serb’s most important victories over Berdych have been in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2013, Davis Cup in 2010 and 2013, the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters final in 2015, China Open final in 2014, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final in 2013, the ATP World Tour finals in 2011, 2012 and 2014 and twice at the Australian Open in the 2011 and 2013 quarterfinals en route to winning those slams. Yeah, I’m just gonna go and play.
Tournament director Guy Forget said it was a tough decision to put Djokovic on Lenglen, but that organizers wanted all the semis played simultaneously so the finalists get equal recovery time.
“In the whole second set I really didn’t think that I’m going to win this match, because he was just on top of me”, Thiem told reporters.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Spains Roberto Bautista Agut at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Only Federer, with 39, and Jimmy Connors, with 31, have participated in more in the Open era.
On the other hand, Williams is determined to bring her Grand Slam titles to 22 by the time the French Open ends.
Djokovic has beaten Berdych in their last 10 meetings although the Czech will be slightly bouyed by knowing that his last win against the world number one was on clay three years ago.
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Djokovic won the first two sets 6-3, 7-5, and they are even at 3-3 in the third on Court Philippe Chatrier.
