Djokovic and Nadal set the quarterfinals of the blockbuster French Open

The latest episode of the long-running rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will see two tennis fighters fight for a place in the semifinals of the French Open on Tuesday morning (AEST).

When the ‘Joker’ reached the last eight without dropping a set, Nadal was forced to dig deeper as Roland Garros competed in his third five-set match after taking the distance to Canadian ninth seed Felix Agar-Aliasim.

The Spaniard dropped his first set for the tournament when Auger-Aliasim took a break in the first set, with the Canadian finally holding on to his advantage by claiming 6-3.

But in ordinary Nadal fashion, the ‘King of Clay’ returned to the contest, leading to a control win with the next two sets.

But the ninth pick won the fourth set on the same scoreline, winning the first, 6-3, to force Nadal into a one-set shootout with Roland Garros for the third time and for the first time since 2013.

At the moment, Nadal’s experience helped him win the final set, confirming that he recorded the 22nd five-set win of his Grand Slam career against 12 defeats.

Auger-Aliassime joins John Isner (who took a two-set-one lead against Spaniards in the first round in 2011) and Novak Djokovic (who lost in the semifinal thriller 9-7 in the final set in 2013) in their only ‘King of the Earth’ expansion in Paris. As a player.

Nadal’s fight was against Djokovic, who dropped just seven games to beat Diego Schwartzman in the straight set as he continued his bid to become the first person to complete a triple-career Grand Slam.

All is now ready for the 59th installment of the Djokovic-Nadal rivalry, which extended to their first meeting at the Roland Garros in 2006, when the two were at the combined age of 39 and one had a combined big journey. (Nadal’s 2005 French Open title).

Sixteen years later, the pair will meet for the tenth time at the Red Clay Court in Paris, with the combined age of the two now 70 (although Nadal turns 36 this Friday) and a combined 41-year-old (21 years of Nadal) Djokovic’s 20).

This is the first time any two players will face each other ten times in a tournament.

Alexander Zaverev will face teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the other, while two tennis greats will fight in the top half of the quarterfinals.

Third-seeded Zverev ended the run of the Spanish qualifier Bernabe Zapata Mirales in a straight set win, although the Germans stretched to a tiebreak in the first set, which lasted 13-11.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, continued its impressive run through a draw, dismissing Olympic silver medalist Karen Khachanov in a straight set, leaving her in her first quarter-final at Roland Garros and second in a major.

In contrast to the long-running Djokovic-Nadal rivalry, this will be the fourth meeting between Zaverev and Alcaraz, the young Spaniard winning their most recent meeting in the Madrid Masters final earlier this month, and last year Zaverev won both fights. .

On the women’s side, Sloane Stephens and Coco Goff set up an All-American quarter-final showdown, both of which ended in straight sets against Jill Teichman and Alice Mertens, respectively.

Unseeded Italian Martina Travisan advanced to the quarterfinals of her second French Open, beating Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who had beaten Emma Radukanu and Angelique Karbar in the previous round, while Lelah Fernandez was needed to beat Amanda Anisimova.

Of the four women in the bottom half of the draw, only Stephens Roland reached the Garros final when he lost to Simona Halep in 2018. He also reached the Major Final, the other Fernandez who reached the final of the US Open last September.

On Monday night (AEST), world number one Iga Sweettech will start a hot favorite to advance to the quarterfinals of her third French Open when she plays Zheng Qinwein, where Madison will play against Kiss Veronica Kudarmetova, who has benefited from the third. Paula Badosa’s Round Retirement.

In the men’s draw, Daniel Medvedev faces former US Open champion Marin Cilic, and a win could put him in the quarter-finals with compatriot Andrei Rublev, who faces Janik Sinar.

Fourth-seeded Stefanos Sitcipas is competing against Holger Rune, and the win will see him face either Caspar Rudd or Hubert Hurcaz as he faces another possible semifinal showdown against Medvedev.