French Open: Rafael Nadal wins to set up Novak Djokovic quarter-final in Paris
Rafael Nadal will play long-time rival Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarter-finals after winning an absorbing five-set battle with Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Rafael Nadal will play long-time rival Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarter-finals after winning an absorbing five-set battle with Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.
US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez and fellow teenager Coco Gauff progress to the last eight of the French Open at Roland Garros.
Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski continued to bring their best form to the Roland Garros clay on Sunday when they cruised past all-American duo Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul in the third round.
The Dutch-British pairing struck 32 winners to McDonald and Paul’s 12 in a 6-3, 6-2 victory as they charged to their second Grand Slam quarter-final of the year. Koolhof and Skupski, who currently lead the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Rankings after picking up four titles in 2022, have dropped just one set in Paris so far.
Follow RG live scores on the official ATP WTA Live app
The sixth seeds face a tough test in the last eight, however, where fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos await. The Spanish-Argentine team beat Jonny O’Mara and Jackson Withrow 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time in three attempts.
Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer came good in the deciding set to prevail in their third-round meeting with seventh seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus. Arevalo and Rojer ran out 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 winners to advance to their maiden Grand Slam quarter-final together. The 12th-seeded Dutch-El Salvadorian pairing is chasing a third tour-level title of the year in Paris.
Arevalo and Rojer will next face Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez after they overcame Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6). Matos and Vega Hernandez are making their Grand Slam debut as a team at Roland Garros, and they held their nerve to clinch a deciding set tie-break against their Belgian opponents. The Brazilian-Spanish pair has already enjoyed success on clay this year, lifting a maiden tour-level trophy in Marrakech in April.
Roland Garros 2022
Open Gallery
Briton Neal Skupski books his place in two doubles quarter-finals at the French Open on Sunday.
Coco Gauff says Emma Raducanu’s US Open triumph showed that any player can challenge for Grand Slam titles in women’s tennis.
Novak Djokovic continues to deal in straight-sets victories at Roland Garros.
A high-quality fourth-round performance took the top seed past Diego Schwartzman at the clay-court Grand Slam in Paris on Sunday afternoon. The World No. 1 saved seven break points while converting six of his own in a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory to set a quarter-final showdown with 13-time champion Rafael Nadal or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the French capital.
After easing past Yoshihito Nishioka, Alex Molcan and Aljaz Bedene in his opening three rounds in Paris, Djokovic produced another convincing display to see off the threat of the 15th seed Schwartzman. The World No. 1 required five sets to overcome the Argentine in the pair’s previous meeting at Roland Garros in 2017, but his all-around level this time around was such that Schwartzman was unable to drag the top seed into another drawn-out battle.
The win means Djokovic is now 16-0 in fourth-round matches at the clay-court Grand Slam, and it moves the two-time champion into a 13th straight quarter-final in Paris. Daniil Medvedev, Nadal, Hubert Hurkacz, and Holger Rune are the other players left in the draw that are yet to drop a set at this year’s tournament.
The early signs on Court Suzanne Lenglen suggested a tight encounter in store for an energetic Parisian crowd. Djokovic fended off two break points to hold in the third game as Schwartzman proved typically difficult to break down in the opening exchanges, but those opportunities proved to be as good as it got for the Argentine in the first set. Djokovic broke twice to ease to the opening set as his return game began to fire.
A change of tactics from Schwartzman brought some respite early in the second set. The Argentine attempted to quell the flow of winners from the Djokovic racquet by increasing the aggression on his own groundstrokes, and the 15th seed soon found himself 3-0 up as the Serbian momentarily lost his way.
The revival was short-lived, however, as Djokovic raised his level to reel off seven games in a row with a stunning display full of clean hitting, clever drop shots and relentless defence that left Schwartzman again scrambling for a foothold in the match.
Schwartzman had showcased his trademark resilience in coming back from two sets down to defeat Jaume Munar in the second round, but the Argentine was unable to exert enough consistent pressure on his opponent to threaten a similar feat against Djokovic. After the Serbian had stormed to the second set, the World No. 1 made his move by breaking in the sixth game of the third, showing some delightful touches at the net on his way to a two-hour, 15-minute win.
The triumph improves Djokovic’s ATP Head2Head series lead over Schwartzman to 7-0 and improves his match record at Roland Garros to 85-15. Only Nadal (108) has won more matches at the second major of the year.
Roland Garros 2022
Open Gallery
World number one Iga Swiatek has returned as a BBC Sport columnist and, in her third piece at the French Open, discusses how reading helps her focus on winning tennis matches.
The Roland Garros fourth round begins on Sunday, with men’s singles play exclusively on Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen. Four of the tournament’s Top 6 seeds are on the schedule as the stacked top half of the draw resumes play, with defending champion Novak Djokovic, 13-time champion Rafael Nadal, third seed Alexander Zverev and sixth seed Carlos Alcaraz all seeking quarter-final berths.
All of the Top 8 seeds are through to the Roland Garros fourth round, the fourth time that has happened in Paris across the last eight years (2015, 2017, 2019).
In doubles action, the quarter-final stage will be set following Sunday’s play, with four matches on tap.
Alcaraz was a surprise quarter-finalist at the 2021 US Open, when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and Cameron Norrie in a breakout fortnight. It may be an even bigger surprise if he does not reach the quarters at Roland Garros.
The 19-year-old — who had already won his first ATP Tour title (Umag) when he made that New York run — entered Paris as one of the title favourites. His performance at the clay-court major has not disappointed; entering Roland Garros on a 10-match win streak following titles in Barcelona and Madrid, he has extended that streak to 13.
The Spaniard saved a match point in a five-set epic against countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the second round but avoided any such drama in a dominant three-set win over 27th seed Sebastian Korda on Friday.
“Very happy to be in the fourth round for the first time,” Alcaraz tweeted in Spanish after his win. “But we want more!”
Muy feliz de estar en OCTAVOS por primera vez! 💪🏻 Pero queremos más! 💨 @rolandgarros
All the best for the rest of the season @SebiKorda! 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/r7kbqCd4JR— Carlos Alcaraz (@alcarazcarlos03) May 27, 2022
Alcaraz took the match to the American, using his offensive gameplan to great effect.
“I’m aggressive all the time. It doesn’t matter that if I am losing, winning, tough moment, tough match,” he said, when asked what differentiates him from other players. “I keep my style the whole match. I would say that that’s the difference.”
Alcaraz will know that Karen Khachanov is also a very aggressive player, though the two are contesting their first ATP Head2Head matchup.
“I just practised with him just once, but I watch other matches from him, so I know that it’s going to be a tough match,” the Spaniard previewed. “He’s a tough opponent and I like those matches.”
The 21st seed won three four-setters to advance to the fourth round, beating Nuno Borges, Hugo Dellien and 10th seed Cameron Norrie on the way. He had four clay wins on the season entering Roland Garros, including a run to the Belgrade semi-finals, where he lost in three sets to Djokovic.
Khachanov is seeking his second run to the Roland Garros quarter-finals (2019) and his third Grand Slam quarter-final overall (Wimbledon 2021). He also claimed the silver medal at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics.
Nadal meets Felix Auger-Aliassime in the lone fourth-round matchup between Top 10 seeds. It’s the second ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, but the first since “Uncle Toni” began working with the Canadian in 2021. Toni Nadal coached his nephew Rafa from childhood and was a part of his team until stepping away in 2017. He was with Nadal for 16 of his record 21 Grand Slam singles titles, and 10 of his record 13 Roland Garros crowns.
“I already talked with Toni after my match,” Nadal said following a straight-sets win over 27th seed Botic van de Zandschulp. “For me it’s very simple. He’s my uncle. I don’t think he will be able to want me to lose, without a doubt, but he’s a professional and he’s with another player. I don’t know what’s going to happen, if he’s going to stay in the box or not, but I don’t care. I have zero problem with that. So it’s not a story at all for me.
“I know the feelings that we have between each other. I know he wants the best for me. Now he’s helping another player. But honestly, for me, it’s zero problem, and I know he wants the best for me.”
Nadal previously faced Auger-Aliassime in Madrid in 2019, earning a 6-3, 6-3 victory. But the Canadian was 18 at the time and had just broken into the Top 30 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He enters this fourth-round matchup at a career-high of No. 9, having reached the quarter-finals or better at each of the past three majors, including his run to the 2021 US Open semi-finals.
“I think I’m a much different player than I was three years ago,” the 21-year-old said, reflecting on “good memories” from his previous meeting with Nadal.
Addressing the situation with Toni, the Canadian is not expecting any inside information on his opponent.
“I don’t know if I need insight on how Rafa plays, to be honest. I think we all know what he does well,” he said with a smile. “I don’t think Toni will tell me anything new about how Rafa plays.
“But we had the discussion — it was black and white from the first time we started working together. We knew it was a possibility that eventually I would play Rafa when I’m working with Toni. And actually now he’s present here in this Grand Slam. But I think Toni will watch from a neutral place and enjoy the match.”
Auger-Aliassime is in strong form, having reached the quarter-finals in each of his past four ATP Tour events, all on clay. But he has not beaten a player above him in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in that span, with a Madrid win over World No. 12 Jannik Sinner his best result.
Nadal holds a 6-2 record on clay this season, only competing in Madrid and Rome in addition to Roland Garros after a rib fracture forced a six-week layoff following his defeat to Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final. That defeat ended the Spaniard’s perfect 20-0 start to the season, a personal best.
Both Nadal and Djokovic are seeking their 16th Roland Garros quarter-final as they look to extend the record they share. In the overall Grand Slam quarter-final count, Roger Federer leads with 58.
Most Slam QFs | Most RG QFs | RG QF Years |
Federer – 58 | Djokovic – 15 | ’06-08, ’10-21 |
Djokovic – 51 | Nadal – 15 | ’05-08, ’10-15, ’17-21 |
Nadal – 45 | Federer – 12 | ’01, ’05-13, ’15 |
Djokovic, like Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune, has not dropped a set on his way to the fourth round. In fact, the Serbian has not dropped a set in any of his past eight matches, dating back to his Rome title run. The World No. 1 has breezed past Yoshihito Nishioka, Alex Molcan and Aljaz Bedene in Paris, dropping more than three games in a set just once, in a tie-break third set against Molcan.
Djokovic is 6-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against Schwartzman, but had to come back from two-sets-to-one down to earn a win at Roland Garros in 2017. The Serbian holds a 15-3 set record against the Argentine, taking the past eight in a row. But the pair have not met since the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals, and Djokovic is well aware of the threat his opponent poses.
“He’s one of the quickest players we have on Tour, and his best results in his career came on clay, so of course he’s a tough opponent without a doubt,” he assessed. “I know him well. We played some really good matches on different surfaces.
“So playing against him, you always have to expect another ball coming back. I’m ready for the physical battle. I haven’t spent too much time on the court. I have been striking the ball really well, so I look forward to that challenge.”
Schwartzman raced past 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2, to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the fourth time. He has never lost at that stage, advancing to one semi-final (2020) and two quarter-finals (2018, 2021). He holds a 20-7 clay record on the season and reached consecutive finals in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro final in February.
Djokovic vs Schwartzman on clay?
Somebody call @SpiderMan 🕸 🕷@DjokerNole @dieschwartzman #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/hbOiIZL8s2
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 27, 2022
Zverev saved a match point and came back from two sets down to beat Sebastian Baez in the second round. He made the most of his second life by edging #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima, 7-6(2), 6-3, 7-6(5), on Friday to reach the fourth round for the 10th straight time at a Grand Slam.
The German reached two quarter-finals in his first 18 majors, but has been a second-week regular since 2020. He came within two points of his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open and reached three additional semi-finals dating back to that year’s Australian Open.
“In the early stage of my career I think I was struggling with Grand Slams a lot,” Zverev said. “I was winning other tournaments and going deep at other tournaments, and Grand Slams were always the ones that I was struggling with.
“I’m happy that I can say that I’m hopefully also going to be stable [at the Grand Slams] in the future.”
Qualfier Bernabe Zapata Miralles had just one Grand Slam win in three previous main-draw appearances, but has scored upset wins over Americans Taylor Fritz and John Isner to secure the best result of his career. The World No. 131 is up to No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, all but assuring a breakthrough into the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings following the tournament.
As one of two unseeded men in the fourth round alongside #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune, the Spaniard has flown under the radar in Paris. His lack of experience at tour-level — where he is 6-7 — could prove an advantage, with Zverev having relatively little knowledge of his style of play.
Zverev admitted to being unfamiliar with his opponent but credited Zapata Miralles for his strong week.
“Obviously he’s having the week of his life here, and playing a lot of great tennis,” he said. “So I need to be at my best to give myself the best chance to win against him. I think when you have a run like that, you want to keep it going. He’s going to look forward to that.”
The 25-year-old from Valencia bids to become the first qualifier and lowest-ranked player to reach the Roland Garros men’s quarter-finals since No. 140 Marcelo Filippini in 1999.
Fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos headline the doubles action with their matchup against Jackson Withrow and Jonny O’Mara, while seventh seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski take on Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul.
In the only matchup between seeded teams, seventh seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus face 12th seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer.
Holger Rune shined in his Court Philippe Chatrier debut Saturday night, fending off home favourite Hugo Gaston and the Paris crowd to extend his dream debut at Roland Garros. The #NextGenATP Dane scored an impressive 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win to set up a fourth-round showdown with fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The match was a great spectacle, filled with lengthy rallies and plenty of twists despite the straightforward scoreline. There were 10 combined breaks of serve, with the 19-year-old Rune converting on seven of his 11 break chances.
Gaston ignited a party atmosphere under the Chatrier lights by breaking in the opening game of the match, but Rune responded brilliantly by winning five straight games to quiet the crowd. After the Dane cruised through the second set with a pair of breaks, he raced out to a 5-1 lead in the third to put one foot in the fourth round.
But neither Gaston nor the Paris crowd gave up, and Toulouse native closed to 3-5 much to the delight of his supporters. Stepping to the line to serve out the match for the second time, Rune got the better of some lengthy rallies to get over the line without any additional drama.
The Great Dane 🇩🇰@holgerrune2003 records his best result at a Grand Slam with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Hugo Gaston.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/TPCdstE75v
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 28, 2022
Both men eclipsed 30 winners, with Rune hitting 38 to his opponent’s 31. Many of those winners came at the end of punishing rallies, with Ruud frequently pulling his opponent out of position. The Dane’s control of all aspects of the match was underlined by his healthy edge in short (plus seven), medium (plus nine) and long (plus seven) rallies.
Rune, playing in his third Grand Slam, picked up his first victory at that level by upsetting 14th seed Denis Shapovalov in the Paris opening round. He beat Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen in the second round before getting past the 21-year-old Gaston. The Dane has not dropped a set on the fortnight, and only dropped more than three games in a set once, when Shapovalov took him to a third-set tie-break.
The 2019 Roland Garros boys’ singles champion and a former junior World No. 1, Rune made his ATP Tour debut in 2021 and his Grand Slam debut at the 2021 US Open, where he took a set off Novak Djokovic in the opening round. He took two sets off Soonwoo Kwon in a five-set first-round loss at the 2022 Australian Open and claimed his first tour-level title in Munich on May 1.
The 19-year-old’s rise to a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 40 has been a quiet one, certainly compared to his contemporary Carlos Alcaraz, but the Dane maintains a strong sense of self-belief — a prerequisite for such success at an early age. While Alcaraz is known for his powerful and all-action game, Rune exudes a quiet confidence with a smooth and finesse-based attack which was on full display on centre court Saturday night.
Rune, who first broke into the Top 100 in January, began playing tennis at age six with his sister, who is four years older. The 19-year-old describes himself as relaxed and even lazy off the court, and is a fan of football and basketball as well as cinema. Before he made his breakthrough on the ATP Tour, Rune was a hitting partner at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, where he got the chance to hit with the likes of Roger Federer and Djokovic. He even got some serving tips from former World No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s coach.
Fittingly, Rune will meet Tsitsipas, the winner of that year’s Nitto ATP Finals title, in the fourth round. It will be their first ATP Head2Head meeting.
The Dane is one of two unseeded players among the last 16 standing at Roland Garros fourth round, alongside Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
Roland Garros 2022
Open Gallery
Casper Ruud came from behind against Lorenzo Sonego on Saturday and went the distance to advance to the Roland Garros fourth round for the first time. The sixth seed used a timely late surge to fend off the Italian, 6-2, 6-7(3), 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Ruud is the first Norwegian to reach the Roland Garros fourth round. The 23-year-old reached the third round each of the past three years, while his father Christian Ruud reached that stage in 1995 and 1999. The father-and-son duo are the only Norwegians to have progressed that far at the clay-court Grand Slam.
Sonego was six points from victory at 4-4, 30/30 in the fourth set, but Ruud played some of his best tennis to win six of the next seven games and set himself on course for victory. He scored his fifth break on his ninth break point with a forehand winner to edge ahead 3-1 in the deciding set, then lost just two points in his next three service games to close out the milestone win.
The love affair with Paris continues 🧡@CasperRuud98 survives Lorenzo Sonego 6-2, 6-7(3), 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the last 16 for the first time.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/cxPDLkoNs3
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 28, 2022
The steady Ruud finished the match with a clean 39-21 winners-to-errors count, while Sonego filled the stat sheet as he attempted to force the action, finishing with 62 winners and 47 unforced errors.
While the Norwegian advances to the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the second time (2021 Australian Open), Sonego was bidding for his third Grand Slam fourth round after reaching that stage at Roland Garros in 2020 and Wimbledon in 2021. From 2020-22, Ruud leads the ATP Tour in clay-court wins with 63. He also tops the Tour in clay titles (7) and finals (8), including trophy runs in Buenos Aires and Geneva this season.
Now bidding for his first major quarter-final, he will next face 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz, who moved past David Goffin 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 earlier on Saturday.
Ruud first broke into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last September, his reward for a breakout season that included five titles (four on clay) behind a perfect 5-0 record in finals. He reached a career-high of No. 7 in April after reaching the Miami ATP Masters 1000 final, the 10th and biggest title match of his career.
His Roland Garros breakthrough is far from the first time Ruud had made history for Norway. He is also the first Norwegian to break into the Top 10, win an ATP Tour title, reach an ATP Masters 1000 final and qualify for Nitto ATP Finals.
Roland Garros 2022
Open Gallery