The King of Clay Continues

06/01/2022 The King of Clay Continues

By: Jeff Yoder

#5 Rafael Nadal Ousts #1 Novak Djokovic in 4-Set Epic to Reach French Open Semifinals

This one belongs to Rafa! The match of the tournament on Tuesday featured the biggest giants in tennis as Rafael Nadal took down top-seeded Novak Djokovic in a four-set battle (6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6). Nadal showed his clay-court prowess once again by winning a crucial third-set swing before closing the door with a fourth-set tiebreaker. The quarter-final match lasted over four hours before the 13-time French Open champion slayed Djokovic in the 59th head-to-head showdown, which brings the overall record to 30-29 in favor of the Djoker. Nadal moves on to face Alexander Zverev in the semis.

 

Watch: Nadal Beats Djokovic in French Open QF

 

Other Quarter-Final Highlights

M: #3 A. Zverev def. #6 C. Alcaraz (6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6)

W: #18 C. Gauff def. S. Stephens (7-5, 6-2)

W: M. Trevisan def. #17 L. Fernandez (6-2, 6-7, 6-3)

 

Today’s Schedule (Quarter-Finals)

M: #7 A. Rublev vs. #20 M. Cilic (8:30 am ET)

M: #8 C. Ruud vs. H. Rune (2:45 pm ET)

W: #20 D. Kasatkina vs. #29 V. Kudermetova (6:00 am ET)

W: #1 I. Swiatek vs. #11 J. Pegula (7:15 am ET)

 

Additional Storylines

ATP: Nadal Downs Djoovic in Classic Roland Garros Quarter-Final

SI: Nadal Topples Djokovic in 4-Set French Open Thriller, Advances to Semifinal

 

Photo: Christophe Archambault / Getty Images