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Spanish Duo, Nadal And Alcaraz Keep Olympic Dream Alive
Rafael Nadal rode a wave of public enthusiasm to maintain his position in the race for a third Olympic gold medal, partnering with Carlos Alcaraz to secure a spot in the men’s doubles quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
The Spanish powerhouse, known as “Nadalcaraz”, defeated the Dutch duo Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof in their quarter-final match, overcoming the intense heat, winning 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 10-2.
The enthusiastic audience at Court Suzanne Lenglen openly showed their backing for the Spanish team, frequently shouting: “Let’s go, Rafa, let’s go”.
The red-shirted Nadal, 38, was eliminated from the singles by Novak Djokovic on Monday but came back with his 21-year-old partner to the cheers of the waiting audience 24 hours later.
The Spaniards consistently put their challengers under strain on the court, eventually winning the match when Alcaraz delivered a powerful forehand shot over the net.
Alcaraz, the French Open and Wimbledon winner continued to play as Spain clinched the match with a 6-4 victory in 54 minutes.
The right-handed Nadal, despite wearing supportive gear on his right thigh, seemed unaffected, delivering some impressive shots at the net, including his signature powerful forehands.
Both sides missed opportunities to take the lead in the final stretch of a closely contested second set, with the Dutch team prevailing in the tie-break to equalize the score.
However, the match took a dramatic turn in the tie-break as Nadal and Alcaraz took a commanding 5-0 lead, eventually winning 10-2 in a match that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
The Spanish duo will now face off against the US fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in the quarterfinals.
Nadal, who has won the French Open singles title 14 times and is playing in just his seventh tournament of the year, has seen his ranking drop to 161.
He is hoping to add a third Olympic gold medal to his collection, following his wins in 2008 for singles and in 2016 for doubles.
