PETE ZIEBRON
Tommy Haas, working on his backhand slice. Pete Ziebron Images
Resurgent Tommy Haas, who will turn 35 years old on April 3, soundly defeated world #1 and 2-time defending Champion, Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-4 in 80 minutes in his 4th round match at Sony Open Tennis in Key Biscayne, Florida.
Throughout the match, Haas used crafty variation from the baseline, including a nifty backhand slice that kept Djokovic off-balance in the cold and blustery conditions. Despite the dicey weather, Haas hit 13 winners against 18 unforced errors compared to only 7 winners from Djokovic, who littered up the stat sheet with 30 unforced errors.
Following the match, Djokovic stated that the he never really felt comfortable on the court and that the balls did not bouce too high, further complicating his ability to play his game. Djokovic elaborated: "He used his serve well, all credit to him for making me play this bad. He played the better match."
What a difference a year makes. Last year leading up to the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, Tommy Haas played a Challenger tournament in Dallas. After notching 3 wins, he retired in his semifinal match. Following a 2nd round loss in Miami to Radek Stepanek, Haas played one match in the qualifying round of the US Clay Court Championships in Houston, defeating world #712 Chris Wettengel. Following that match, Haas failed to take the court, granting a walk-over to Go Sodea.
Things got better for Haas later in the summer, as he defeated Roger Federer in the Final on the grass courts of Halle, Germany. The win was especially impressive as Federer would Wimbledon a few weeks later.
Today's win is only the second time that Haas has beaten a world #1 and the first time since 1999 when he topped Andre Agassi at the Grand Slam Cup. This victory also marks the first time that Haas has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami. He will play Gilles Simon of France and will look to continue to improve on his current ranking of world #18.