PARIS — Four times, the stands at Roland Garros were ready to erupt, a beloved Frenchman standing one point from beating the world’s top player and ending his quest for history.
Four times, Novak Djokovic had an answer for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
And so, instead of Tsonga Time at the French Open, Djokovic is still on the road to the “Novak Slam.”
Top-seeded Djokovic overcame four match points, to say nothing of the wildly partisan crowd, for a 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory over Tsonga that ended near twilight yesterday in front of drizzle-soaked stands that had quickly emptied after Tsonga’s match points vanished and the final set had become academic.
Djokovic’s win was his 26th straight in the majors.
Tsonga, the No. 5 seed, had dreams of becoming the first Frenchman to win his country’s Grand Slam event since Yannick Noah in 1983.
It was the end to a remarkable day of tennis that included third-seeded Roger Federer’s comeback from two sets down for a 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 win over No. 9 seed Juan Martin del Potro. After both the winners rest their legs, they’ll meet with a spot in the final on the line.
Djokovic’s last Grand Slam loss came against Federer in that semifinal last year — a defeat that ended the Serb’s 43-match winning streak.
If Federer does it again, he’ll set the stage for his 17th Grand Slam tournament title and his first since the 2010 Australian Open.
Djokovic, meanwhile, will try to set up a chance to join Rod Laver and Don Budge as the only men to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.