but lost in straight sets. In August, Haase for the first time defeated a top-10 player at the Rogers Cup, beating Tomáš Berdych. Haase made his Grand Slam debut at the US Open as a lucky loser, due to the withdrawal of Mario Ančić. He lost in the first round in straight sets to the third seed and eventual runner-up, Novak Djokovic. 2008–2010 At the 2008 Chennai Open, Haase claimed another top-20 win when he defeated the second-seeded Marcos Baghdatis in the first round. Haase pushed Lleyton Hewitt to five sets in the first round of Wimbledon 2008, with Hewitt finally winning. Haase returned to Wimbledon two years later, where he upset James Blake in straight sets in the first round. He was narrowly defeated by world No. 1 and eventual champion, Rafael Nadal, in the second round in five sets. 2011: First ATP title, top 50 year-end ranking At Wimbledon, Haase beat world No. 22, Fernando Verdasco, in the second round in four sets. In the third round, he trailed against Mardy Fish, before retiring with a knee problem. Haase then landed his first ATP title at the Austrian Open in Kitzbühel. In the opening round, he led Potito Starace, 6–3, 2–0, before his opponent retired due to injury. In the second round, he defeated second seed Feliciano López in a rain-delayed match that spanned two days. Hours later on the same day, he beat Andreas Seppi in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he defeated qualifier João Souza. In the final, he came out on top against experienced clay-courter Albert Montañés. At the US Open, Haase reached the second round after beating Portuguese Rui Machado in straight sets. In the second round, Haase led fourth seed Andy Murray by two sets to love, but was eventually beaten in five sets, despite coming back from 4–0 to 4–4 in the deciding set. Haase ended the year ranked No. 45, his highest end-of-year ranking in his professional career. 2012–14: Australian Open doubles final, top 40 career-high in singles Robin Haase meant to start the year playing in Chennai, but because of troubles obtaining a visa, he had to withdraw. In Australia, he lost first-round matches in Sydney and Melbourne, losing first to Alex Bogomolov, Jr. and then to Andy Roddick. At the indoor tournament of Zagreb, Haase was seeded seventh and reached the quarterfinals, losing to Lukáš Lacko. In February, he