Novak Djokovic faced four match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
PICTURE:GETTY IMAGESBig guns given big scares in Paris quarter-finals
ROGER FEDERER was given a real fright by Juan Martin Del Potro, but the third seed eventually won through in five sets.
Federer, who has been in the final in Paris in five of the last six years and won in 2009, lost the opening set 6-3 and the second in a tie-break but lost only five more games in battling back from 2-0 down for only the seventh time in his career.
Top seed Novak Djokovic looked even likelier to exit as he faced four match points against home hero Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
No. 5 seed Tsonga dropped the first set 6-1 but took the next two 7-5 7-5. The fourth set went to a tie-break which Tsonga appeared to be controlling, but Djokovic refused to lie down.
That seemed to break Tsonga’s spirit as he succumbed 6-0 in the decider. Djokovic is now 7-2 to claim the title – the only Grand Slam he doesn’t currently hold.
Dominika Cibulkova’s superb run came to an end at the hands of sixth seed Samantha Stosur.
US Open champion Stosur was beaten finalist at Roland Garros in 2010 and booked a place in the semi-finals for the third time in four years by beating 15th seed Cibulkova 6-4 6-1.
The Australian, who is now a top-priced 12-5 for a second career Grand Slam title, is 1-2 to beat Sara Errani in the semi-final. Errani, the No. 21 seed, had never progressed beyond the third round of a Grand Slam before her quarter-final appearance in Melbourne in January and is 9-5 to reach her first final.
