Rafael Nadal’s pursuit of a third Olympic gold remains alive as he and teammate Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the men’s doubles quarter-finals on Tuesday. The Spanish duo, known as the “Nadalcaraz” team, triumphed over the Dutch pair Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof with scores of 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), and 10-2 in a thrilling match tie-break.
Nadal, reflecting on their victory, said, “We have been suffering but we are enjoying playing together, we are creating good synergies, good energy, so yeah, we are having fun in general terms.”
The match came just a day after Nadal’s singles exit, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in their 60th career meeting. Despite this setback, Nadal remains focused on his doubles campaign, aiming to add to his Olympic singles gold from Beijing 2008 and his doubles triumph from Rio 2016.
Murray’s Magic Continues
In an emotional display, Britain’s Andy Murray, partnering with Dan Evans, saved match points for the second consecutive round to secure a spot in the quarter-finals. They defeated Belgium’s Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-3, 6-7 (8/10), 11-9.
Murray, playing in his final tournament, described his feelings as “happy tears” after the match, saying, “Excited that we managed to get through another amazing finish. It takes a lot out of you, that sort of stuff. So I’m glad we got a day off tomorrow!”
Women’s Singles Drama
The women’s singles saw a dramatic day, particularly with the upset of US Open champion Coco Gauff by Croatia’s Donna Vekic. Vekic won 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, but the match was marred by a heated dispute between Gauff and the chair umpire over a crucial point call. Gauff, visibly upset, argued, “I’m getting cheated in this game. You guys are not fair to me.”
In contrast, top seed Iga Swiatek continued her dominance on clay, securing her 24th straight win at Roland Garros by defeating China’s Wang Xiyu 6-3, 6-4. Swiatek will face Danielle Collins of the USA in the next round.
– Alexander Zverev: The defending champion progressed to the third round by defeating Tomas Machac in straight sets.
– Daniil Medvedev: Competing as a neutral, Medvedev also advanced to the last 16.
– Angelique Kerber, Barbora Krejcikova, and Zheng Qinwen: These top players all secured victories, maintaining their campaigns in the tournament.
With temperatures soaring into the mid-30s Celsius, officials at Roland Garros activated a heat protocol, allowing a 10-minute break between the second and third sets to ensure player safe.
As the competition intensifies, the combination of thrilling matches, emotional moments, and emerging controversies continues to captivate fans and players alike at the 2024 Olympics.
