{"id":78474,"date":"2022-05-30T13:10:22","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T13:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=78474"},"modified":"2022-05-30T13:10:22","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T13:10:22","slug":"nadal-djokovic-set-up-french-open-quarter-final-clash-as-alacaraz-cruises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=78474","title":{"rendered":"Nadal, Djokovic set up French Open quarter-final clash as Alacaraz cruises"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sports Desk:<\/strong> Rafael Nadal set up a blockbuster French Open quarter-final against world number one Novak Djokovic on Sunday when he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set fourth round epic and pledged to “fight until the end”.<\/p>\n

Nadal, the 13-time champion at Roland Garros and holder of a record 21 Grand Slam titles, triumphed over the Canadian 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a match which lasted four hours and 21 minutes.<\/p>\n

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It was only the third time in his 17-year, 112-match career in Paris that Nadal had been stretched to five sets.<\/p>\n

Nadal and Djokovic will meet for the 10th time at Roland Garros and 59th overall in a rivalry stretching back to 2006.<\/p>\n

“We know each other well, we have a lot of history. The only thing I can say is that I will be focussed, try my best and fight until the end,” said Nadal on facing the defending champion on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Djokovic has been responsible for two of Nadal's three defeats in Paris — in the quarter-finals in 2015 and last year's semi-finals.<\/p>\n

Nadal hailed 21-year-old Auger-Aliassime, who has been working with his uncle and former coach Toni since April last year.<\/p>\n

“Felix is a great player. He's very young with a lot of power and great mobility,” said the 35-year-old Spaniard who has made the last-eight for the 16th time.<\/p>\n

Ninth-ranked Auger-Aliassime raced into a 3-1 lead in the first set and battled from three break points down to edge 4-1 ahead.<\/p>\n

Nadal retrieved one of the breaks in the seventh game but the 21-year-old Canadian held his nerve to pocket the opener.<\/p>\n

Two loose forehands at 3-5 in the second set opened the door for 35-year-old Nadal while the third set swung the Spaniard's way in the third game when three rapid, defensive scrambles forced an error from his opponent.<\/p>\n

– ‘Huge challenge' –<\/p>\n

Auger-Aliassime then rallied to level the tie.<\/p>\n

In a tense finale, Nadal converted the sixth of 22 break points he had carved out to lead 5-3 and held his nerve to claim his 109th victory at Roland Garros.<\/p>\n

Djokovic also reached the quarter-finals for the 16th time when he eased to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory against 15th seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina.<\/p>\n

“It's a huge challenge and probably the biggest one that you can have here in Roland Garros. I'm ready for it,” said Djokovic of facing his old rival.<\/p>\n

Djokovic is still to drop a set at Roland Garros after cruising through the first week.<\/p>\n

He has also won 22 sets in a row, stretching back to his Italian Open title triumph in Rome earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Auger-Aliassime said he was happy with his performance.<\/p>\n

“He raised his level when he needed to. I did what I had to do. He was dictating, aggressive when he needed to and also defending really well,” said the Canadian.<\/p>\n

– Untroubled Alcaraz –<\/p>\n

Djokovic or Nadal could face Spanish teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, the 19-year-old romped into his first French Open quarter-final with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Russian Karen Khachanov.<\/p>\n

“I had a great match from start to finish,” said sixth seed Alcaraz who will face German third seed in the last eight.<\/p>\n

The teenager defeated Zverev in the Madrid Masters final earlier this month after also knocking out Djokovic and Nadal.<\/p>\n

It was a second successive straight-sets win for Alcaraz after saving a match point when winning a second-round thriller against compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas.<\/p>\n

Alcaraz is the youngest man in the last eight since Djokovic in 2006.<\/p>\n

Zverev reached the quarter-finals for the fourth time by ending Spanish qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles' run in a 7-6 (13\/11), 7-5, 6-3 victory.<\/p>\n

– All-American clash –<\/p>\n

In the wide open women's event, which saw nine of the top 10 seeds fall before the second week, American teenager Coco Gauff set up a quarter-final duel with compatriot Sloane Stephens.<\/p>\n

Gauff, 18, reached the last-eight for the second successive year with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Belgium's Elise Mertens while 2018 runner-up Stephens defeated 23rd-seeded Jil Teichmann of Switzerland 6-2, 6-0.<\/p>\n

“Americans in Paris… I think it'll be a great match and I'm looking forward to it,” said Stephens who is currently 64th in the WTA rankings.<\/p>\n

Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez reached the quarter-finals for the first time.<\/p>\n

Fernandez, seeded 17th, and who was US Open runner-up last year, fired an impressive 40 winners past 2019 semi-finalist Amanda Anisimova to secure a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win.<\/p>\n

She next faces Martina Trevisan, the world number 59 from Italy who booked her place in the quarter-finals for the second time in three years, edging out Aliaksandra Sasnovich from Belarus 7-6 (12\/10), 7-5.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sports Desk: Rafael Nadal set up a blockbuster French Open quarter-final against world number one Novak Djokovic on Sunday when he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set fourth round epic and pledged to “fight until the end”. Nadal, the 13-time champion at Roland Garros and holder of a record 21 Grand Slam titles, triumphed over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":78475,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n