Nadal is in pain but leads by five sets and will face Djokovic in the quarter-finals – 05/29/2022

The most awaited match since the draw Roland Garros will really happen. Rafael Nadal He will face Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. a few hours after The Serbian, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, will win his match on SundayRafa struggled but beat the Canadian Felix Auger Eliassim (World No. 9, age 21), coached by his uncle Tony Nadal. The duel was partial 3/6, 6/3, 6/2, 3/6, 6/3.

Tuesday’s match will be the tenth between Nadal and Djokovic at Roland Garros. So far, Rafa has seven wins against two Nol. But the Serbian player outperformed last year’s semi-final when he won the title. The world number one is also coming in big time. In addition to not dropping a set at Roland Garros so far, he has already racked up nine consecutive victories on the track, having been the Masters champion in Rome before traveling to Paris. He is also the bookmaker’s favorite to leave France with the trophy.

Mistakes and missed opportunities in the beginning

The opening set was well balanced, with high drops from both tennis players. Nadal has had break points in three different matches, while Auger-Aliassime, who didn’t have Tony Nadal in his box this Sunday (something that had been agreed upon previously), had chances to pounce on two matches. But the Canadian was better on the most important points. In the third game, he was saved thanks to the victory of the left hand and two unforced errors on the opponent. In the fourth, he relied on a forehand from Nadal to reach the first half and open 3/1.

Auger-Aliassime opened the fifth game with three non-compulsory misses, but fired 2 aces and relied on another easy one from Nadal to save himself. Rafa continued to miss more than usual, and he paid the price by losing the service again in the sixth inning. The veteran managed to return one of the two innings, but Auger-Aliassime did well in the ninth and closed the partial 6/3 after 56 minutes of play.

Nadal, who finished the first set with 15 unforced errors, was threatened again in the third game of the second set, but relied on Alesim’s error to save a break point. After that, the veteran began to make fewer mistakes and suffer less with the serve, but Auger-Aliassime kept an excellent serving record and did not give him any chances. That changed in match eight, when Nadal saw a few seconds served and scored two break points (15/40). Felix came off the ropes with a short, good serve. But Auger-Aliassime erred when he had an easy right to confirm transmission. Nadal saw the opportunity and was perfect to win the next two points and open 5/3 on the scoreboard. Soon, he confirmed serve and tied the match.

With the start of the third set, it was clear that Nadal was the best tennis player at the time. Auger-Aliassime took a 15/40 lead in the first half, but ended up with a break in the third, when he missed a shot after two great saves by the Spaniard. Rafa opened 3/1 in a row and continued to lead the match. He lost a break point in the fifth inning, but converted another in the seventh, opening 5/2 and soon after he was leading two sets for 1.

With each point, Nadal seemed more confident and hit the ball with more conviction. However, who took the lead in the fourth set was Auger Aliassime, who left 0/30 in the opener and broke Rafa to make the score 2/0 afterwards, making the match exciting again. The veteran immediately returned the first half thanks to a backhand that the opponent could not return, but did not tie the set. After a double fault and a forehand hit into the net, he missed his serve again, and Auger-Aliassime opened 3/1. The challenger gained confidence and, using more and more shorts, kept serving until he made 6/3 and forced the fifth set.

The decisive end started off nervously, with fans pushing Nadal, but Auger-Aliassime served well and saved a break point in his first match. Rafa came back to play a very strong game, making a few mistakes and taking care of his serve well, but he always bumped into the good services of the Canadian, who kept a partial equaliser. And in the sixth game, Nadal took the match to a “tie”, but two big points from Aliassim closed the door in his face. On the eighth, Rafa was more aggressive. He opened the match by forcing 0/30 and, soon after, provided a perfect parallel forehand to win two more break points (15/40). Felix saved the first with an untenable serve, but Nadal scored an amazing point in the sequence and reached the first half.

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