Rome, Italy (SportsNetwork.com) - Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka was sent packing, while Wimbledon titlist Andy Murray found safe passage into the quarterfinals at the $4 million Italian Open, an ATP Masters 1000 event.
Ageless 15th-seeded German Tommy Haas displayed some heavy topspin in upending the third-seeded recent Monte Carlo Masters champion Wawrinka 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 on Day 5 on the red clay at Foro Italico.
The oldest player in this year's draw, the 36-year-old Haas was a Rome runner- up in 2002.
He hadn't beaten a top-10 player since upsetting then No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Miami more than a year ago.
"These things don't happen too often anymore so I still take them and I'm really proud of them," Haas said.
Wawrinka was slowed by a back injury.
"I couldn't move too well," he said. "It's really nothing serious. It's just painful and I need some rest -- maybe a few days.
"He's a really good player. He [Haas] has a good serve, he can come to the net and he has touch. We all know how he plays. He's been there for a while."
Meanwhile, the seventh-seeded Murray, who turned 27 on Thursday, avoided a third-round upset by dousing veteran Austrian left-hander Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (7-1), 6-4.
Also on Thursday, eighth-seeded Canadian slugger Milos Raonic handled 11th- seeded former Aussie Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 and France's Jeremy Chardy drilled Croat Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-2. Chardy stunned three-time Rome finalist Roger Federer on Wednesday.
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