Melzer Comeback Stuns Djokovic; Plays Nadal Next In Semi-Finals

© Getty ImagesJurgen Melzer is the first Austrian to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals since Thomas Muster in 1995.

Jurgen Melzer, who had never before gone beyond the third round at a Grand Slam championship, is one victory away from reaching the Roland Garros final after an epic 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-4 win over third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic in four hours and 15 minutes on Wednesday.

"The more matches you win on a high level, the more confidence you get," said Melzer of his breakthrough performance. "For me, it was never a question of talent. It was more in the head."

The No. 22 seed, who is the first Austrian to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals since former World No. 1 Thomas Muster clinched the 1995 title, came back from a two-sets-to-love deficit for the first time in his career to set up a clash against four-time former champion Rafael Nadal of Spain. Melzer has a 0-2 record against his fellow left-hander.

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Djokovic, who took a two-sets-to-love lead in just 67 minutes, led Melzer 2-0 in the third set before the 29 year old – the oldest player left in the draw – started his comeback.

"The only thing I told myself, 'It's my first quarter-finals in my life in a Grand Slam. Just don't go away. Just don't make it easy for him. Fight as much as you can,'" said Melzer, "and I was I wasn't playing so bad. I just missed a lot of easy shots when I had the chance and the opportunity to finish the point. And after that, I got back in, and at 2-all in the third it was an open match. I think I got a little under the skin after the third set."

In an ultra-competitive fourth set, Djokovic fell to 0/40 at 4-4 and saved eight break points in a 28-point game. Melzer took control of the tie-break winning six straight points, four of which came from Djokovic unforced errors, for a 6-0 lead and levelled the scoreline with a backhand crosscourt winner.

Djokovic saved one break point at 30-40 in the opening game of the decider, while Melzer hit a backhand crosscourt winner at 30-40 in the sixth game. At 4-4, Djokovic saved two break points with forehand and smash winners but could not deny Melzer his third break point opportunity and 24th of the match.

Serving for the match at 5-4, 40-30, Melzer missed a forehand volley on his first match point opportunity and he hit a forehand into the net on his second point. But Melzer made it third time lucky, when Djokovic committed his 59th unforced error on a service return, for his first win over a Top 3 opponent since October 2002 at the Bank Austria TennisTrophy in Vienna (d. No. 2 Tommy Haas).

"At the end, it's just like getting to another chance and just believing you're gonna win," Melzer said of his composure after missing his first two match points. "I think all those break points I played good points. I came in and won. And then at the end, it's just a battle. Of course we were both tired and everything hurt. I just got through."

Djokovic, a semi-finalist in the French capital in 2007 and 2008 (l. to Nadal both times), was playing at Roland Garros for the sixth time. He hit 10 double faults in the match, bringing his tournament tally to 33. The 23-year-old Monte-Carlo resident dropped to a 25-8 match record on the season and to 9-5 lifetime in five-set matches.

"I think he played really well in the last three sets," said Djokovic. "But I made a big mistake there. I made him come back into the match with my unforced errors, and then he caught the momentum and he was playing really well, especially on his service games.

"I'm very disappointed, obviously, to lose the match that I was in control of totally a set and a break. This is tennis, you know. This is Grand Slams. You always have to play up to the end, because these things happen, especially at this stage of tournament."