French Open 2013: Haas, Wawrinka stand in the way of Djokovic-Nadal semifinal

Evergreen Tommy Haas and Roland Garros quarter-final first-timer Stanislas Wawrinka will on Wednesday attempt to rewrite a French Open script which has already cast them as fall guys.

Haas, who at 35 is the third oldest man ever to get to the last eight in Paris, takes on world number one Novak Djokovic.

Wawrinka, so often in the shadow of compatriot Roger Federer, will try to inflict upon seven-time champion Rafael Nadal only a second defeat in 58 matches in the French capital.

All the signs point to disappointment for the two outsiders, with expectations high that Djokovic and Nadal will meet in a blockbuster of a semifinal on Friday.

But Haas, the oldest quarterfinalist in Paris since 1971, insists a roller-coaster career, which once saw him rise to No. 2 in the world before a succession of injuries halted his progress, can have its finest moment this week.

“It’s been a great ride. I feel like I’m riding a wave that I hope to continue as long as I can,” said Haas, the first German to make this stage in 17 years.

The 12th seed, whose ranking was so low a year ago that he had to qualify for the French Open, is not only making waves because of his age.

In his marathon third-round win over John Isner, he needed a record 13 match points to secure victory.

“It would have been easy sometimes to throw in the white towel and say, ‘I’m done, I have achieved a lot of things, I don’t really have to worry so much financially and I can live a good life’,” added the Florida-based German.

“But at the same time maybe there was something in me still that said, ‘You know what? I can maybe still do something’. I’m really happy I made that choice.”

Haas was cheated out of at least two years of his career with hip and shoulder trouble between 2010 and 2011, which followed missing the entire 2003 campaign as he twice underwent shoulder surgery.

Djokovic, who needs a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, has a 4-3 winning record over Haas, including their only meeting on clay in Paris seven years ago.