AP

French Open updates | Nadal sets up 59th match with Djokovic

May 28, 2022, 3:54 PM | Updated: May 29, 2022, 11:51 am

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament (all times local):

8:45 p.m.

Rafael Nadal got through a serious test in the French Open’s fourth round by edging Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a record 59th matchup against rival Novak Djokovic.

Sunday’s thriller in Court Philippe Chatrier was only the third five-setter Nadal ever has played at Roland Garros, where he has won 13 of his record 21 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal is 3-0 in those contests that go the distance, part of his overall 109-3 mark at the clay-court tournament.

Two of those three career defeats in Paris came against Djokovic, owner of 20 major titles and two at the French Open. Last year, Djokovic beat Nadal in the semifinals en route to the trophy.

Djokovic leads their overall series 30-28. No other two men have played each other as many times in the professional era of tennis.

8:35 p.m.

Sloane Stephens has returned to the French Open quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 by beating Jil Teichmann 6-2, 6-0.

Stephens won the 2017 U.S. Open and was the runner-up at Roland Garros the next year. But she hasn’t been a member of the final eight players at any major tournament since losing in the quarterfinals in Paris three years ago.

Stephens will face Coco Gauff in an all-U.S. matchup next.

7:05 p.m.

Third-seeded Alexander Zverev is into his fourth quarterfinal at Roland Garros thanks to a 7-6 (11), 7-5, 6-3 win against 131st-ranked qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Zverev lost in the semifinals a year ago at the French Open.

His best Grand Slam showing was as a finalist at the 2020 U.S. Open.

The 25-year-old German will play No. 6 Carlos Alcaraz or No. 21 Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals.

4:05 p.m.

American teenager Coco Gauff hit one backhand around the net post in the first set along the way to earning a berth in the French Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.

The 18-year-old American took over from 4-all in the opening set en route to beating No. 31 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-4, 6-0 at Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday.

Gauff burst onto the scene at Wimbledon when she was 15 by becoming the youngest qualifier in tournament history, beating Venus Williams and getting all the way to the fourth round.

Her first Grand Slam quarterfinal came in Paris in 2021, when she lost to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova, and now she’s made it that far again.

The 18th-seeded Gauff’s next opponent will be 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens of the United States or No. 23 Jil Teichmann of Switzerland.

3:50 p.m.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic has reached his record 16th career Roland Garros quarterfinal and could find a familiar foe across the net next: Rafael Nadal.

The No. 1-ranked Djokovic quickly recovered from only the slightest of blips at the start of the second set Sunday and went on to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory over 15th-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina at Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Djokovic has won all 12 sets he’s played so far in this year’s tournament and dropped a total of merely 30 games across the four matches.

He fell behind 3-0 in the second set but grabbed seven games in a row to take that set and a 1-0 lead in the third.

Djokovic has made the quarterfinals in Paris 13 years in a row. He won the title in 2016 and last year, part of his collection of 20 Grand Slam trophies. Only one man has won more — Nadal, with 21.

And if 13-time French Open champion Nadal wins his fourth-round match against Felix Auger-Aliassime later Sunday, the two long-time rivals would meet each other in the quarterfinals. That would be the 59th head-to-head matchup between Djokovic and Nadal, more than any other two men in the professional era of tennis.

Nadal heads into his match against Auger-Aliassime with 15 quarterfinal appearances at Paris.

2:15 p.m.

U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez has moved into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Amanda Anisimova.

The 19-year-old Fernandez had more than twice as many winners, 35, as unforced errors, 17, and continued her run of impressive returning at the tournament. She broke Anisimova six times and now has won 23 of her opponents’ service games through four matches.

Fernandez had never won more than two consecutive main-draw matches on clay until this trip to Paris.

The Canadian made a breakthrough last year at the U.S. Open by making it all the way to the final before losing to Emma Raducanu in a matchup between a pair of unseeded teenagers.

Fernandez, the youngest player to win a WTA title in 2022, is seeded 17th at the French Open and will play Martina Trevisan of Italy next.

The 27th-seeded Anisimova was a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2019 at age 17. The American eliminated four-time major champion Naomi Osaka in the first round this year.

1:20 p.m.

Martina Trevisan of Italy has reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the second time in three appearances.

The 59th-ranked Trevisan grabbed the last four games and beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6 (10), 7-5 on Sunday.

Sasnovich served for the second set at 5-3 but got broken at love there, part of a stretch in which Trevisan collected 13 of 15 points.

Trevisan won her first WTA title at Rabat the week before the French Open began and is now on a nine-match winning streak. Eight of those victories came in straight sets.

She was a qualifier ranked 159th in 2020 when she made a surprising run to the French Open quarterfinals before losing at that stage to eventual champion Iga Swiatek. This time, Trevisan will meet Leylah Fernandez or Amanda Anisimova for a semifinal berth.

Trevisan has lost in the first or second round in six other Grand Slam appearances.

The 47th-ranked Sasnovich beat major champions Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu to get to the fourth round in Paris.

Sasnovich has never made it to the quarterfinals in 28 career major tournaments.

12 p.m.

Fourth-round action at Roland Garros is underway on the chilliest day of the tournament so far, with the temperature at 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 Celsius).

Five American women made it to the round of 16 at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2003, and three are in action Sunday.

Amanda Anisimova, a semifinalist in Paris in 2019 at age 17, is playing 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez at Court Philippe Chatrier. That match will be followed by Coco Gauff — at 18, she is the youngest woman left in the draw — against 31st-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium. And 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens meets 23rd-seeded Jil Teichmann of Switzerland at Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are scheduled to play their fourth-round matches later in the day. If 13-time French Open champion Nadal beats No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime, and defending champion Djokovic gets past No. 15 Diego Schwartzman, the owners of a combined 41 major titles will face each other in the quarterfinals.

That would be the 59th matchup between Djokovic and Nadal, extending their record for the most meetings between any two men in the professional era of tennis.

___

More AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

French Open updates | Nadal sets up 59th match with Djokovic