Talks of an end to Rafael Nadal's reign have proved premature once again, as the claycourt king beat archrival Novak Djokovic 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in a vintage French Open quarter-final clash.
The 13-time Roland Garros champion, beaten by the world No.1 in the semi-finals last year, arrived in Paris with two injuries that had hampered his preparations.
After surviving a five-set thriller against Felix Auger Aliassime in the previous round, the Spaniard, who has only lost three times at the French Open since his first campaign in 2005, knows every inch of the immense court Philippe Chatrier and Djokovic paid for the reminder.
The Serbian is still stuck at 20 Grand Slam titles, after being barred from the Australian Open over his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 - a tournament that Nadal won.
Earlier, German third seed Alexander Zverev capitalised on an error-filled performance from Carlos Alcaraz to tame the high-flying teenage Spaniard 6-4 6-4 4-6 7-6(7) and reach a second straight semi-final.
This was the first time in 12 attempts the 25-year-old Zverev defeated a top-10 opponent at a Grand Slam and his victory came against a player who came into the contest with 14 consecutive matches.
Zverev, who lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2021 semi, had a 2-1 head-to-head lead against Alcaraz, but his opponent had won their most recent meeting - the only one on clay - in the Madrid ATP Masters final this month.
Alcaraz made 56 unforced errors, as Zverev saved a set-point in the fourth set tiebreak, before converting his second matchpoint with a superb backhand service return to set up a meeting against Nadal.
Meanwhile, American teenager Coco Gauff powered past compatriot Sloane Stephens 7-5 6-2 to book a semi-final spot in her biggest victory at a Grand Slam.
"I feel so happy right now," said Gauff, 18. "Words can't explain it. Last year in the quarters was a tough loss and that made me stronger for moments like today.
"Last time I played her, I lost, so I am happy it went differently today. I think it was a mental challenge today."
The youngest player left in the draw was hit by a brief spell of nerves late in the match, but will next play Italy's Martina Trevisan for a place in Sunday's (NZ time) final.
Reuters
