Djokovic enters $100 million club

[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Djokovic enters $100 million club " ids="59800,59801"] PARIS — Novak Djokovic had 100 million reasons to celebrate reaching the French Open quarterfinals Wednesday — albeit two days later than expected — as players finally cleared the fourth-round backlog created by the fickle Parisian weather. 
After relentless rain washed out all but two hours of play over the previous two days, under-fire Roland Garros organizers said such conditions had not been seen since 1873 as they frantically tried to play catch-up by staging 12 singles matches — instead of just four quarterfinals as is the norm — on day 11 of the sodden championships. 
That allowed Serbian world No. 1 to become the first tennis player to bank $100 million in prize money after his 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5 win over Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut tipped him over the magic number. He started the tournament with $99,673,404 and the 294,000 euros ($328,303) he earned by beating Agut took him past the landmark figure. 
After winning a match that was originally scheduled for Monday, began Tuesday and was finally completed Wednesday, the 29-year-old will have to play four days in succession if he is to reach Sunday's title showdown. 
"I have the feeling I played three matches against him," a grinning Djokovic told the crowd after donning a yellow rain hat during his victory speech. 
"Yesterday the match was interrupted three times and it wasn't easy coming here at 9 am and leaving at 7.30 or 8:00 p.m. 
"So that's the reason why we should have the roof here. I'm hoping we're going to have it very soon," added the Serb, who joined the likes of golfer Tiger Woods and boxer Lennox Lewis in the $100 million club. 
However, rather than getting worked up about the French Open not having any court cover like the other three majors, it was the organizers' decision to make the players compete in misty rain Tuesday that overshadowed Wednesday's on-court action. 
Serena Williams, who like Djokovic was bogged down in the fourth round for more than 48 hours, booked her place in the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-1 walloping of Ukrainian 18th seed Elina Svitolina. 
In the bottom half of the men's draw, Andy Murray doused some early fireworks from Frenchman Richard Gasquet to win 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-0, 6-2 to set up a blockbuster semifinal against holder Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss beat Albert Ramos (Spain) 6-2, 6-1, 7-6(7). 
But the hot topic of the day remained what the organizers did, or did not do, on Tuesday. 
Djokovic's victim Bautista Agut said officials had "pushed us to play two hours yesterday" — the threshold needed to avoid reimbursing any money to ticket-holders — while Venus Williams labeled the conditions "really bad" after being ambushed 6-2, 6-4 by Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky. 
"The conditions were not playable yesterday. It's hard to see. The balls are wet, the courts are wet. It just seemed terrible," the American said. 
Djokovic will be hoping he does not face another soggy day as he will be back in action on Thursday to contest his 28th successive major quarterfinal against Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych, a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 winner over 2013 runner-up David Ferrer. 
Austrian tyro Dominic Thiem was enjoying his most successful run at a Grand Slam after beating Spaniard Marcel Granollers 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-4 to set up a last-eight clash with Belgian David Goffin. 
Venus Williams' eighth-seeded conqueror Bacsinszky, describing herself as "a chameleon" who can adapt to "every type of court", will next face Kiki Bertens after the Dutch outsider downed American 15th seed Madison Keys 7-6(4), 6-3. 
Serena will take on another unexpected quarterfinalist in the shape of Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva, who beat Spanish 12th seed Carla Suarez Navarro. Garbine Muguruza and Samantha Stosur set up a semifinal clash. Muguruza, last year's Wimbledon runner-up, had reached the quarterfinals on her last two visits to Roland Garros but went a step further after ending the surprise run of American Shelby Rogers 7-5, 6-3. 
The 22-year-old will face Stosur for a place in the final after the Australian 21st seed, runner-up six years ago, overcame Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-4, 7-6 (8/6).