Roger Federer, with the imposing burden of Rafael Nadal now lifted from his shoulders, struggled under the weight of Tommy Haas's challenge before winning a five-set French Open thriller on Monday.

One day after four-time champion Nadal was sensationally beaten at Roland Garros for the first time, Federer, suddenly the favourite for a maiden French Open title, came close to joining the Spaniard at the exit door.

But the former world number one survived to beat 31-year-old Haas 6-7 (4/7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 and will now tackle French 11th seed Gael Monfils for a place in the semifinals.

Tommy Robredo kept Spanish hopes alive as the 16th seed reached his fourth quarterfinal with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 win over Germany's 29th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, the man who defeated fourth seed Novak Djokovic in the previous round.

However, France's ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who was hoping to make the quarterfinals for the first time, went down 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-4 against highly-rated Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro.

The South American will tackle Robredo for a place in the semifinals.

Federer, who came into his last 16 clash with German veteran Haas boasting an 8-2 winning record, was close to suffering his earliest Grand Slam defeat since losing in the third round to Gustavo Kuerten in 2004.

But the match turned when Haas, with a two-set lead, missed a chance to break in the eighth game of the third set which would have allowed him to serve for a famous victory.

Federer, with one brilliant, inside-out forehand that landed just on the line, saved the break point and raced through the rest of the tie taking 14 of the next 16 games.

"I thought that shot I made was probably the first good shot I had hit the whole match," said Federer, the holder of 13 major titles and needing just a French Open to become only the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam.

Victory on Sunday would also take him level with Pete Sampras on 14 Grand Slam titles, although the great American never won in Paris.

"I knew the significance of it and I realised that if I came out of it I would look back on that shot as the one that saved me. It was a great feeling because I was in some trouble there."

Robredo reached the last eight in 2003, 2005 and 2007 and the 27-year-old has the most claycourt wins this season with a 25-6 record.

"On Sunday, Rafa and Fernando (Verdasco) didn't have their best day and they lost. These things happen. But I'm not putting all 40 million Spaniards behind me, thinking that if I lose they are going to lose," said Robredo.

He will meet Del Potro who has now reached a third successive Grand Slam quarter-final.

Tsonga struggled to contain the deep hitting of the 20-year-old Argentine and he wasn't helped by sending down 41 unforced errors to the South American's 22.

French hopes of a first men's chammpion since Yannick Noah in 1983 were kept alive by 11th seeded Monfils who defeated sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to reach his second successive quarterfinal.

Roddick argued with umpire Eric Molina that it was too dark to play as the former world number one's best ever Roland Garros performance petered out in the gloom.

Monfils even out-aced the big American 17-4.

Tuesday will see the first two quarter-finals take place.

British third seed Andy Murray will tackle Chilean 12th seed Fernando Gonzalez, who withdrew from the men's doubles on Monday to protect his suspect ankle.

Nadal's conqueror Robin Soderling of Sweden will meet two-time semi-finalist Nikolay Davydenko, the 10th seeded Russian.

AFP

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