French Open 2014 results: Novak Djokovic, Ernests Gulbis into semifinals

One half of the quarterfinals is now in the books for both the men and the women at the 2014 French Open. Tuesday saw some exciting matchup and even something of an upset, though given the context of how this tournament has gone, it wasn’t the biggest upset we’ve seen over the past week.

No. 18 seed Ernests Gulbis took down No. 6 seed Tomas Berdych in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Gulbis handled Berdych from beginning to end, breaking the streak of players who bested Roger Federer in a Grand Slam, only to lose in the following round.

Federer was the No. 4 seed for the tournament, but Gulbis bounced him in the Round of 16, needing five sets to oust the all-time Grand Slam winner with 17. Gulbis took considerably less time to take down Berdych, who was favored going into the match. Gulbis looked in control from the onset, and should enter Thursday’s matchup with No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic with plenty of confidence, despite the fact that it will be his first ever Grand Slam semifinal.

Djokovic was also in action on Tuesday, and though it wasn’t quite as effortless as Gulbis dropping Berdych, the No. 2 in the world player handled No. 8 seed Milos Raonic of Canada in straight sets as well, 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Raonic was a game opponent as always, pushing Djokovic to the limit in two out of the three sets, but the Serb stayed on course in his efforts to capture his first title at Roland Garros.

Djokovic and Gulbis will face off on Friday in the semifinals.

On the women’s side, both matches went the full three sets. No. 7 Maria Sharapova, the highest seed on the day for the women, managed to take down unseeded Garbine Muguruza, 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. That’s significant given what Muguruza has managed to accomplish in this tournament -- she knocked out top seed Serena Williams in an almost effortless win back in the second round. After a feeling out period in the first set, Sharapova went on to narrowly win the second and dominate the third to advance to the semifinals.

Sharapova’s opponent in the semifinals will be No. 18 seed Eugenie Bouchard. She managed to defeat her opponent, No. 14 seed Carla Suarez Navarro, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-5. Bouchard is appearing in only her fifth Grand Slam tournament, but this is her second major semifinal, so she’s definitely up to the task. Still, Sharapova will be favored to win that matchup, which will take place on Thursday.

For a full list of results, go here, but below we’ve got the results from the quarterfinal matchups:

Quarterfinals Singles

No. 2 Novak Djokovic def. No. 8 Milos Raonic 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-4
No. 18 Ernests Gulbis def. No. 6 Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

No. 7 Maria Sharapova def. Garbine Muguruza 1-6, 7-5, 6-1
No. 18 Eugenie Bouchard def. No. 14 Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-5