PARIS(AP) It took Jurgen Melzer 32 Grand Slam tournaments over an 11-year span to reach a quarterfinal.
The amiable Austrian made it Monday. Following the advice of good friend Andy Roddick, Melzer beat qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili in the fourth round of the French Open 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
At 29, Melzer's the oldest man in the final eight.
To be the oldest player is not a special feeling,'' he said.Reaching the quarterfinals for the first time, that's a special feeling. It took such a long time to get here, but it still feels great, no matter how old you are.''
Melzer beat Gabashvili by moving forward, which is what Roddick counseled. Playing chip and charge, the left-hander won 31 of 38 points at the net.
Roddick was able to offer his pal an in-depth scouting report after losing to Gabashvili in the third round.
He gave me advice. Yeah, that's true. We had a few text messages,'' Melzer said.I attacked a little more than Andy. That's what he suggested - that I should attack.
``But I didn't need Andy to tell me that. I have a coach for that.''
That would be former tour pro Joakim Nystrom. Melzer credits Nystrom with giving his game a boost since they joined forces in 2007.
Now Melzer's beyond the third round at a major event for the first time. His opponent Wednesday will be No. 3-seeded Novak Djokovic, already a two-time semifinalist at Roland Garros.
Djokovic eliminated the last American in the men's draw, Robby Ginepri 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.
The other men's quarterfinal Wednesday will be between four-time champion Rafael Nadal and fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, seeded 19th. Nadal improved to 35-1 at Roland Garros by beating No. 24-seeded Thomaz Bellucci in the fourth round 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, while Almagro defeated a third Spaniard, No. 7-seeded Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Nadal, who lost in the fourth round in 2009, has yet to drop a set in this year's tournament.
Do you want me to jump and shout?'' Nadal said in Spanish.I'll start jumping when I've won the tournament.''
In the women's quarterfinals Wednesday, No. 1 Serena Williams will play No. 7 Sam Stosur, fresh off an upset over four-time champion Justine Henin 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. That ended Henin's streak of 24 consecutive victories at Roland Garros since her most recent defeat in 2004.
Williams beat No. 18 Shahar Peer 6-2, 6-2.
No. 4 Jelena Jankovic will next face unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova. Jankovic defeated No. 23 Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2, and Shvedova became a Grand Slam quarterfinalist for the first time by beating wild card Jarmila Groth 6-4, 6-3.
In Tuesday's quarterfinals, defending champion Roger Federer was to face Robin Soderling in a rematch of last year's final. Other matchups were No. 11-seeded Mikhail Youzhny against No. 15 Tomas Berdych, No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki against No. 17 Francesca Schiavone and No. 5 Elena Dementieva against No. 19 Nadia Petrova.
Melzer cracked the top 30 for the first time last year. He's now ranked 29th - high enough to earn a seeding at Roland Garros and make his draw easier.
He caught a break by playing someone ranked 114th in the fourth round. But the big-swinging Gabashvili was dangerous because he had won six matches - including three in qualifying - since his arrival in Paris.
Melzer saved three set points in the opening set, then settled in for a long grind, figuring his foe might be weary from so many recent matches.
``That was the key point - to just hang in there and try as good as I can to make him hit a lot of shots,'' Melzer said.
The approach may be different against Djokovic. Maybe Roddick will have some thoughts.
He gets a lot of balls back,'' Melzer said.He's a great counter-puncher. But still I'm confident. I mean, I'm in the quarterfinals. I have played good matches here, and I think I have enough game to go in there and beat him.''
Djokovic agreed. He's 2-0 against Melzer, but he said the Austrian looked like a top-10 player when he beat No. 9-seeded David Ferrer in the third round.
Since it's his first quarterfinals of the Grand Slam, definitely he doesn't want to stop there,'' Djokovic said.He has nothing to lose right now. Nobody expects him to play finals here. That's why he's very dangerous - because he's going to go for the shots.''