Roland Garros This is the table
Much more demanded than in his three previous matches, Rafael Nadal had to reach all five sets, but he showed against Felix Auger-Aliassime, the ninth seed, whom he defeated 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3 -6 and 6-3, in four hours and 21 minutes, which is ready to face the biggest challenges.
He will have one of care next Tuesday against Novak Djokovic, defending champion, in the quarterfinals.
The Serbian maintained the formidable tone that he has been exhibiting throughout the tournament and won 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, in two hours and 15 minutes, to arrive at the event unblemished.
Djokovic, who dominates the overall clashes with Nadal 30-28, beat him last year in the semifinals, but has lost seven of his nine meetings with him in this tournament and on 11 of the 19 occasions in which they have seen each other. on clay court
.
Auger-Aliassime is a player in constant growth.
Until this edition, he had never made it past the first round in Paris.
He has done it, reaching the round of 16, in a season where he has quarter-finals in Barcelona, Madrid, Estoril and Rome.
Toni Nadal was finally at Roland Garros.
He chose a neutral zone, standing in the box of authorities, next to the president of the French Federation, Gilles Moretton.
The fact that he works with the Canadian since April of last year, after doing so until 2017 with his nephew, had aroused the logical interest.
The Spaniard had a hard time adapting to his rival's game, finding the setback.
Fast, athletic, Auger-Aliassime, who won his first title this year in Rotterdam, after winning the ATP Cup with Canada, managed to reverse to hit the reverse forehand and dominate the points at the start of the match.
Nadal did not convert the three
break points
he had in the third game and then lost his serve, in an erratic game where he sent two long forehands.
He was able to pick it up next, but the Canadian turned from 0-40 to go 4-1 in the first set.
He didn't start well as a southpaw: in six games he had made 14 unforced errors, two more than in the entire third-round match against Mouttet.
Auger-Aliassime was going 5-1.
The first set went to him, who won three straight points on his serve and took advantage of his second chance.
a constant pulse
Buoyed by his excellent serve, which he executes brilliantly, especially when he runs it wide, the Canadian held the pulse until the eighth game of the second set, where he conceded a break that made it equal to one set.
An extraordinary defense gave the Spaniard an advantage at the start of the third quarter.
Auger-Aliassime missed a shot after several returns from the Spaniard in a borderline situation.
It was a turning point from which he built a reaction that seemed definitive.
But not even with two sets to one did the Montreal tennis player lower his arms, immeasurable all afternoon.
He got two consecutive breaks and went 4-1 in the fourth.
It would be done with the set, taking the match to the limit.
With many hours of flight, used to this type of situation, Nadal raised the level in the last set, broke in the eighth game of the fifth and defended his serve to make a place where he was expected,
with the gallantry and courage that It has led him to win 21 majors, 13 of them in Paris.
It did not matter that he came short of filming and with doubts about his physical problems.
He will face Novak Djokovic, this time in the quarterfinals.
There is nothing.
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tennis
Rafael Nadal
Articles Javier Martinez