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sports Monday 30 May 2022
Nadal edges Auger-Aliassime at French Open; Djokovic next

PARIS (AP) — By the end other well. We have a lot of
of only the third five-setter history together,” said Nad-
Rafael Nadal has played al, who hadn’t dropped
in 112 career French Open a set in the tournament’s
matches, as the sun and first week until ceding two
temperature descended against Auger-Aliassime,
and the chants of “Ra-fa! a big-serving 21-year-old
Ra-fa!” filled the evening from Canada. “Here we
air, the man known as the are in Roland Garros. It is
King of Clay showed pre- my favorite place, with-
cisely what this meant to out a doubt. I don’t know
him. what’s going to happen,
With every sprint-slide-and- but the only thing I can
stretch to reach a seeming- guarantee is I am going to
ly unreachable shot off the fight until the end.”
yellow racket of his oppo- Nadal improved to 3-0 in
nent, Felix Auger-Aliassime; five-set matches at the
with every right-to-a-corner clay-court tournament he
winner; with every well- has dominated the way
struck volley, Nadal would no one ever has dominat-
hop or throw an uppercut ed any Grand Slam event.
or scream “Vamos!” — and, Overall he is 109-3 here,
often, all of the above. and two of those defeats
Nadal got through his first Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates winning against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in five sets, 3-6, came against Djokovic, in-
serious test of this French 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, during their fourth round match at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland cluding in last year’s semi-
Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Open by edging No. 9 seed finals. q
Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 6-3,
6-2, 3-6, 6-3 across nearly
4 1/2 hours of even, enter-
taining tennis in the fourth
round Sunday at Court
Philippe Chatrier.
And the reward? A tantaliz-
ing matchup against rival
Novak Djokovic, which will
come in the quarterfinals
on Tuesday.
“Of course we know each

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