Hello! Up next on Chatrier is the intriguing contest between Roger Federer and the endlessly extroverted Ernests Gulbis. As always, the talented Latvian is talking the talk and claims to have a plan for the GOAT. We'll soon see if it is the correct one.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 3-6. GULBIS. MATCH! Cool as you like, Gulbis smashes down an ace to send himself up double match point, before another wayward Federer backhand seals it all off. Despite his fourth-set holiday, a top quality performance from the Latvian and a massive upset.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 3-5. GULBIS. Federer wastes no time in holding serve with a cool service game, smashing down an unreturned serve to end and dispatching his spare ball to the other side. Over to Gulbis.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 2-5 GULBIS. As the match builds to an almighty climax, the game begins with an epic as the pair trade blows from the back of the court before Gulbis’ volley just floats wide. A backhand winner dispatched pancake-flat and drilled straight down the line, a perfectly angled Federer backhand smash. Gulbis finally shuts the door by spanking another forehand followed by a delicate little dropshot to move within one game of his greatest victory.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 2-4 GULBIS. Federer responds by launching to the net and pulling off some physics defying coverage of the fort before slicing his racquet into a sickly sweet drop volley. The rest is business, and he’s soon back in pursuit of Gulbis’ serve.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 1-4 GULBIS. It’s the same ol’, same ol’ for Gulbis. He abuses a few more backhands, most notably fully rotating on one that flies crosscourt for a glorious winner. Then he spanks down a few more winning first serves and struts to his chair with another game safely tucked away in his pocket.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 1-3 GULBIS. At last, Federer puts his name on the 5th set board after a quick service game of his own. A couple of big forehands seal the game, and off he goes again in search of that vital break.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 0-3 GULBIS. Gulbis’ 12th ace comes firing down, but as usual it’s the unreturned serves that account for most of his service points. Infused with violent backhands, more fly his way as he rushes towards game point. When Federer finally manages to land himself in a point, he slaps a backhand into the bottom of the net.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 0-2 GULBIS. BREAK! Gulbis infuses his play with a little mystery slinking to the net behind a slice and dispatching a confident volley to bring up an ominous 0-30 lead in Federer’s very first service game. The mystery continues as three break points fall his way. After saving two break points, a solid return from Gulbis is enough to send Federer into a muddle as he mistimes a forehand. A crucial break?

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 0-1 GULBIS. Gulbis wipes away the lost set and holds at the beginning of the fifth, sending a backhand screaming straight down the line like in the good old days when he was snatching the second set with ease.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 6-4 GULBIS. SET! More ballbashing from Gulbis sends Federer into an ominous 0-30 hole, but the Swiss fends off two more lob-attempts from his serial lobbing opponent. The recovery is completed with a formidable serve complimented with a sliding forehand winner to capture the hold and push the match into a deciding fifth set.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 5-4 GULBIS. Gulbis’ energized return continues as he rolls up his sleeves and duly holds with ease to tear through his service game love. Plenty for Federer to think about as he returns to serve for the fourth set.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 5-3 GULBIS. BREAK! After the lengthy break, Gulbis returns to the court and proceeds to pulverize the heck out of the ball. Soon enough, one of the two breaks are recovered and Federer is left feeling a little hard done by with his momentum lying in tatters on the dirty, red clay.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 5-2 GULBIS. BREAK! The break is doubled as the errors reel off Gulbis’ racquet and the rest of his resistance crumbles in an instance. He quickly calls out the trainer as the pair sit down, and off the court he goes for a medical timeout.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 4-2 GULBIS. Federer is not one to reject free gifts, and he swiftly holds to consolidate the break with a series of wrong-footing forehands followed by yet more unreturned serves. Clear daylight now stands between the two in this fourth set.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 3-2 GULBIS. BREAK! Another low-key start has galvanized Gulbis into amusing himself. He sends a forehand dropshot well wide, and responds to the lost point with a backhand dropshot that dies on the red clay. On the next point, he slinks up to the net unannounced, and sends a stretch volley wide. After saving the resulting break point, a second comes soon after and a backhand clips the net and flies out. Out of nowhere, the Latvian is a break down.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 2-2 GULBIS. Federer too finds his way to a quick 40-0, only to concede two silly points himself. But a rasping wrong footing forehand winner sends him on his way again.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 1-2 GULBIS. Another game destined for another serve-dominated love-hold is derailed by two distracted errors from Gulbis, but he quickly rights those wrongs on his third try with the trusty brutal backhand cross-court.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 1-1 GULBIS. Back we go to the familiar sight of the pair sizing each other up as Federer throws down a quick, big serve-dominated love hold to level it up.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 0-1 GULBIS. It takes Gulbis little time to open his fourth-set account. More serves that go unreturned and more brutal, deep backhands straight to Federer’s weaker backhand side are enough to force his way through.

FEDERER 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 2-6 GULBIS. SET! Well, that escalated quickly. Federer stomps off-court after limply conceding the set with two uninterested forehand errors. The match is falling away from the 2009 champion fast, and he needs to rediscover his fight if he doesn’t want it to be his last.