PARIS (AP) – Novak Djokovic will leave the looking ahead to others. If he’s to be believed, the No. 3-ranked Djokovic has more immediate concerns than a possible French Open semifinal against No. 2 Rafael Nadal or final against No. 1 Roger Federer.

First things first at Roland Garros for Djokovic: a quarterfinal against Ernests Gulbis, set up by three-set victories for both men Sunday. Never heard of Gulbis? Djokovic has. Knows the 19-year-old kid from Latvia quite well, in fact.

They go way back, having shared adventures on and off the court a few years ago at coach Niki Pilic’s tennis academy in Munich, Germany.

“He was destroying me in practices. I couldn’t win a match. Practice? No chance,” Djokovic said, then added with a wink and a smile: “So all the pressure’s on him, OK? He’s the favorite.”

Actually, because their careers have followed completely divergent paths, Djokovic knows full well he must be considered the overwhelming pick in what will be his first professional meeting with Gulbis.

Djokovic – who beat No. 18 Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 Sunday – reached the U.S. Open final in September, then knocked off Federer en route to winning the Australian Open in January. He’s reached the semifinals at four consecutive major championships, cementing his status as part of the trio of men head-and-shoulders above the rest.

And Gulbis? He came to Roland Garros with a 7-10 record this season and never had been past the fourth round at a Slam until beating Michael Llodra 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Sunday.

“I played better and better,” said the 80th-ranked Gulbis, who eliminated No. 7 James Blake of the United States in the second round.

Like Djokovic, Nadal is rather familiar with his next opponent, No. 19 Nicolas Almagro, and had nothing but nice things to say about him.

The three-time defending champion reached the quarterfinals by hammering out the most lopsided of his 25 consecutive French Open victories, 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 over No. 22 Fernando Verdasco. Oddly enough, Nadal’s opponents so far this year all were left-handed, the first time a man has faced four consecutive southpaws at a Grand Slam tournament in the 40-year Open Era.

As with the men, all four women’s matches Sunday were settled in straight sets. No. 2 Ana Ivanovic had the easiest time, putting together a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Petra Cetkovska, and was joined in the quarterfinals by No. 3 Jelena Jankovic, No. 10 Patty Schnyder and qualifier Carla Suarez Navarro.

The players responsible for the two biggest surprises of the tournament lost. Schnyder beat No. 27 Katarina Srebotnik, who eliminated Serena Williams, and Suarez Navarro beat No. 26 Flavia Pennetta, who eliminated Venus Williams.

“I thought the match would probably be a bit more difficult,” said the 132nd-ranked Suarez Navarro, the first woman since 2001 to reach the French Open quarterfinals after needing to qualify for the tournament.

She now meets Jankovic, who got a massage from a trainer for pain in her shoulder and neck during a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over No. 14 Agnieszka Radwanska.

“I was struggling at the end,” said Jankovic, who lost five consecutive games in the second set. “I was just trying to guide the ball with my arm, which was not enough. I needed to go for it, even though I had pain.”

And as for her game plan against Suarez?

“Never seen her play before,” Jankovic said.

Gulbis is becoming less and less of an unknown quantity, which is his explanation for a rough second season on tour.

“First year, I was just a newcomer. Nobody knew me. Nobody knew the way I play. Nobody knew how to play against me,” he said. “Now people, players, they already know me a little bit. They know the way I play, so it’s a little tougher.”

Djokovic will do his best to remember Gulbis’ game when they meet Tuesday, so he can take another step toward another match against Nadal.