Tennis

Nadal outlasts rival in thrilling 2022 French Open quarterfinal match

In the 10th meeting between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, the “King of Clay” emerged victorious.

Nadal outlasted world men’s No. 1 Djokovic in four sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4), in a quarterfinal match that lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes.

Nadal got out to a 5-1 lead in the tiebreaker, but Djokovic worked his way back to a 6-4 deficit. On the decisive point, Nadal worked Djokovic far to his right with a backhand to set up a backhand winner down the left side that sent Nadal to the semifinals. That fourth set originally seemed destined to go to Djokovic. The top seed got off to a 3-0 lead and then held a 5-2 advantage. But the world’s No. 5 player tied the set with three straight wins and forced the tiebreaker two games later

 

 

Djokovic claimed the French Open title in 2021, only his second win in the tournament. During that run, he defeated Nadal in the semifinals, ending the King of Clay’s streak of four straight French Open victories.

Nadal will face No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in the French Open semifinals.

The Sporting News tracked live updates and highlights from the 59th meeting between two of the best players in the history of tennis. Follow along for results from the match.

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal score

1 2 3 4
(1) Novak Djokovic 2 6 2 6 (4)
(5) Rafael Nadal 6 4 6 6 (7)

 …

Sports / Tennis

Emma Raducanu out of French Open after Aliaksandra Sasnovich fightback

Emma Raducanu ran out of steam as her French Open dream was ended in the second round by Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The British number one looked in fine shape after an excellent first set, but she was unable to maintain that early momentum and slipped to a 3-6 6-1 6-1 defeat.

Sasnovich, the world number 47 from Belarus, had emphatically won their only previous meeting, 6-2 6-4 in Indian Wells last October in Raducanu’s first match after winning the US Open.

But a pumped-up Raducanu broke her opponent in the fifth game of the opening set. Sending Sasnovich wide whenever possible, the 19-year-old from Kent unleashed a couple of fearsome backhands and finished the job with a blistering forehand.

A second break wrapped up the opening set before a wobbly start to the second, including a pair of double faults – her first of the match – saw Sasnovich snatch a double break and a 4-0 lead.

Raducanu’s winners had dried up; she hit just four to Sasnovich’s 19 in a stinker of a set as the 28-year-old from Minsk levelled the match.

A reset was required and, after a quick departure from the court, Raducanu reached 30-30 on the Sasnovich serve only to dump a backhand into the net, prompting to  cover her face with her racket in frustration.

Nevertheless, the fist pumps were back as she saved a break point to hold for 1-1.

But game three was to prove pivotal, Sasnovich fending off five break points amid seven deuces to hold, and moments later Raducanu mistimed a forehand and found herself a break down.

Sasnovich was now in complete control with Raducanu unable to stem the flow of winners, and she went on to run away with the set and reach the third round for the first time.…

Sports / Tennis

‘Nothing to recover’: Nadal dismisses doubts over foot injury

Rafael Nadal has played down concerns over the chronic foot issue that resurfaced in Rome last week as he prepares to launch his bid for a 14th French Open title.

The Spaniard limped to a third-round loss to Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open, but practiced in front of thousands of fans at Roland Garros on Wednesday without any obvious discomfort.

“There is nothing to recover,” Nadal told reporters Friday. “What happened in Rome is something that happened very often in my practices.

“I was suffering after that for a couple of days, but I feel better. That’s why I’m here.”

Nadal began the year with a 20-match winning run, capturing a second Australian Open title to claim a record 21st Grand Slam and move ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

The 35-year-old then missed six weeks with a rib injury sustained during his run to the final in Indian Wells, where he suffered his first loss of the season to Taylor Fritz.

Nadal complained of a recurring foot problem in Rome, but he appears confident it can be managed in Paris.

“The pain is there always. It’s not going to disappear now. It’s about if the pain is high and strong enough to allow me to play with real chances or not,” he said.

“It’s something that I live every day with, so it’s nothing new for me and is not a big surprise.

“So I am here just to play tennis and to try to make the best result possible here in Roland Garros. And if I don’t believe that this thing can happen, probably I will not be here.”…