French Open PIX: Nadal to face Djokovic in quarters; Alcaraz through

IMAGES from Day 8 of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Sunday.

Nadal edges Auger-Aliassime thriller to book Djokovic date

Rafael Nadal overcame a sluggish start and a stiff challenge from Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime with an enthralling 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 3-6 6-3 win on Sunday to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final with world number one Novak Djokovic.

This was only the third time in his 112 matches that Nadal was taken to the fifth set at Roland Garros and he ensured he kept his blemish-free record intact, wrapping up the win in four hours and 21 minutes to wild applause from the crowd.

Nadal will hope he can recover in time from the gruelling contest for his next outing, where the reigning champion awaits for their 59th career showdown.

The Spaniard, who will turn 36 on Friday, has lifted the Musketeers' Cup a record 13 times but was ousted in the semi-finals last year by Djokovic.

Djokovic completed his victory against Diego Schwartzman on Court Suzanne Lenglen shortly before his long-time rival started his match and the Serb is yet to lose a set in his four rounds.

"We know each other well," Nadal said of Djokovic.

"We have a lot of history together. He came here after winning in Rome. For me, it was not an ideal situation to arrive here. But here we are. We are at Roland Garros, it is my favourite place without a doubt.

"The only thing I can tell you, I am going to be focused and try my best. The only thing I can guarantee is that I am going to fight until the end," added the Spaniard who converted only six of his 22 breakpoint chances in the match.

The clash on Court Philippe Chatrier was the second meeting between Nadal and Auger-Aliassime but the first since Toni Nadal began working with the Canadian in 2021.

'Uncle Toni' was part of Nadal's team for the majority of his record 21 Grand Slam singles titles, and the buildup to the contest was dominated by talk of the 61-year-old coaching Auger-Aliassime against his nephew.

Toni Nadal did not sit in the Canadian's box and chose a neutral seat and he would have been pleased with Auger-Aliassime's performance during the opening set.

The 21-year-old showed immense grit and incredible athleticism to win the opening set, earning applause from Nadal on one point when he jumped to make a backhand overhead volley.

Nadal wasted six breakpoint opportunities in the first set but cut down on his errors in the second and made his chance count in the eighth game to break his opponent and level the contest at 1-1.

Nadal got the early break of serve in the third when Auger-Aliassime missed a couple of overhead volleys and another break in the seventh sealed the set and a 2-1 lead for the left-hander.

But the Canadian refused to go away.

After an early trade of service breaks, Auger-Aliassime broke Nadal's delivery a second time to take the contest to a deciding fifth set.

The last time Nadal played a five-setter at Roland Garros was in the 2013 semi-final, when he beat Djokovic.

The Spaniard still had enough left in his tank to clinch the deciding break against Auger-Aliassime in the eighth game and then held his serve, sealing the contest on his first matchpoint with a winner.

"It was a very important victory for me without doubt," Nadal said.

Alcaraz crushes Khachanov to reach quarter-finals

Carlos Alcaraz pummelled Karen Khachanov into submission in a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Sunday to reach the French Open quarter-finals and stretch his winning run to 14 matches.

The 19-year-old, who has taken the tennis world by storm this year, became the youngest male player in 29 years to reach two Grand Slam quarter-finals after also making the U.S. Open last eight.

"It has been a great match from my side. I played really well from the beginning until the end of the match," he said. "I knew I had to be really focused from the beginning."

"I expected the level that I played. I started really well and I kept the level for the whole match. I am very happy with it."

He needed just 29 minutes to storm through the first set with his special mix of raw power, punishing forehands and deft drop shots that made his 26-year-old opponent look old.

Khachanov, the world number 25 and a quarter-finalist in Paris in 2019, managed to hold serve early in the second set but the Spaniard broke him at 3-3, and never looked back.

The pair traded breaks midway through the third set on a chilly and overcast evening in the French capital but it was Alcaraz who pulled ahead with yet another break after an eye-popping 'tweener' lob over the tall Russian.

He wobbled a bit at the end, wasting five match points on Khachanov's serve, but that only delayed the inevitable by one game, as he sealed victory on his serve minutes later.

World number six Alcaraz, who now has a 19-1 win-loss record on clay this season after winning back-to-back titles in Barcelona and Madrid in April and May, will next face third seed Alexander Zverev, who beat qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles in straight sets.

"Sasha (Zverev) is playing a great game. He is real aggressive and it will be a tough match," Alcaraz said. "Best of five against him will be tough. He has beaten great players in Grand Slams."

"I like to play tough, close matches so it is going to be a good match."

Should the stars align for Alcaraz, he could eventually take on either world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic or 13-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal in the last four.

Zverev stutters but recovers to reach French Open last eight

Third seed Alexander Zverev battled nerves and an erratic serve to beat Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles 7-6(11), 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday and move into the French Open last eight.

The German had to save three set points in the first set and make a comeback from 4-2 down and 15-40 on his own serve in the second while also hitting seven double faults in a rollercoaster performance.

"He was driving me nuts," Zverev said.

"He is one of the fastest players. I felt every return was put on the baseline."

"We played three sets but we played three hours. He was playing the best tennis of his life, with the crowd supporting him. You can see how hardworking he is."

The 25-year-old Zverev, long touted as a potential Grand Slam winner, twice broke the 131st-ranked Spaniard, who had never made it past round two in a Grand Slam prior to Paris, to charge 4-1 in front.

He looked to be cruising through his fourth round match but dropped his guard to give his opponent the opening he was looking for.

Zverev was 4-1, 40-0 up on his own serve but baseliner Zapata Miralles launched a comeback, dragging the rallies out and battling back to break the German twice before wasting three set points in the tiebreak.

Zverev also squandered three of his own before finally winning it on the fourth opportunity but was again broken at the start of the second set, dropping his racquet to the ground and looking to his player box for answers.

Zapata Miralles had the chance to go 5-2 up but failed to convert any of his break points, allowing Zverev to launch his own comeback and move two sets clear.

The German's inconsistent served meant he failed to hold any service game until midway through the third set but recovered to win the last three games in a row to set up a quarter-final against either Karen Khachanov or teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz.

Impressive Djokovic canters into last eight

Novak Djokovic showed glimpses of his brilliant best to demolish Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday and book his place in the French Open quarter-finals where he is likely to face 13-times champion Rafael Nadal.

The world number one's pace was too much for Argentine Schwartzman, who barely threatened despite enjoying a 3-0 lead in the second set.

From then on it was a one-way street for Serbian Djokovic, who won 12 of the remaining 15 games on a chilly Court Suzanne Lenglen.

"I have a lot of respect for him. He's good guy on and off the court and he's a claycourt specialist so it's not easy especially in slow conditions today with a ball that was not bouncing high," said Djokovic of Schwartzman, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2020.

"I found the good serves at the right moments."

The match looked nothing like the 2017 Roland Garros thriller between the pair, when Djokovic had to fight from two sets down to advance to the fourth round.

Djokovic, who has now reached the last eight here for the 13th year in a row, saved two break points at 1-1 before Schwartzman dropped serve to give his opponent the early lead in the opening set.

He raced through it, barely troubled by his opponent's drop shots and almost managing to get the extra shot.

But the Argentine was not ready to give up and he broke for 2-0 in the second set and held for 3-0 only for Djokovic to raise his level again to break back with a crosscourt forehand winner.

Always ready with a good serve when needed, the Serbian staved off break points in the next game to level for 3-3, took the 15th seed's serve again and wrapped up set two after another break.

Schwartzman showed signs of frustration when Djokovic left him red-faced with a delightful drop shot to go 3-2 up in the third.

Djokovic, back on the Grand Slam scene after being barred by local authorities from playing at the Australian Open over his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, ended the Argentine's ordeal by winning his final service game to love.

Gauff reaches Paris last eight again, to face compatriot Stephens

Teenager Coco Gauff reached the French Open quarter-finals for the second year in a row when she destroyed Belgian Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-0 in the fourth round on Sunday.

The American needed a set to adjust before steamrolling the 31st seed with aggressive returns to set up a meeting with compatriot Sloane Stephens.

The 18-year-old Gauff, who clinched her maiden claycourt title at the Emilia-Romagna Open last year, has been growing fond of playing on the slow surface.

"I definitely feel confident on the court. I feel like it really suits my game," the 18th seed told a news conference.

"And I feel like in the previous tournaments this clay season I had some good wins but it wasn't really any outstanding results.

"I feel like it gave me a lot to learn from, and I think I'm taking those tough matches that I lost this season and really learning from them and I guess showing that I'm doing better."

With several top players, including third seed Paula Badosa, having already been knocked out, Gauff has a unique opportunity to make it to the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.

But she is keeping her feet on the ground.

"I know that some of the higher seeds on my side definitely dropped out of the draw. But also, at the same time, I think, you know, the opportunity, I feel like it depends how you look at it," she added.

"For me I look at it in a way every day, no matter who you play you have the chance to win the match no matter their ranking or their seed or anything."

Gauff will face Stephens after the 2018 finalist defeated 23rd seed Jil Teichmann 6-2, 6-0.

Stephens was trailing with the Swiss serving at 2-0, 40-15 but the American bounced back in style, winning 12 games in a row to reach the last-eight in Paris for a third time.

It will be the second meeting between Gauff and Stephens after they played in the U.S. Open second round last year, where the latter won in straight sets.

"I think last time I played her I was super nervous going into the match," Gauff said. "Not because it was Sloane. Just because we were on (Arthur) Ashe (Stadium) and it was an all-American match-up.

"I think a lot of people expected a lot from me in that match.

"Going in ... (I'm) just going to approach it like any other match. I have to go back and watch that match and see what I can learn from it."

Teenager Fernandez tames Anisimova to book first Paris quarters

US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez won a baseline battle against American 27th seed Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to book her spot in the quarter-finals of the French Open for the first time on Sunday.

The only other time the Canadian left-hander made the second week of a Grand Slam was during her run to the final at Flushing Meadows in 2021 when she lost to fellow teenager Emma Raducanu.

"Today was a very complicated game and I'm happy I managed to get through," she said in an on-court interview, speaking in French.

"I knew she would fire a lot of winners and that I had to accept that and not get frustrated. I was so eager to get to play here. I'm happy all the hard work we've done, me, my father, paid off."

On an overcast and chilly morning on Court Philippe Chatrier, the 19-year-old Fernandez put pressure on Anisimova's serve from the outset and quickly racked up a 4-0 lead, mixing deft drop shots with crushing forehands.

The 20-year-old Anisimova, known for her easy power behind her groundstrokes, managed to get two service breaks back to make it 3-5 but could not stop Fernandez from taking the opener.

Three years ago, Anisimova, seeded 27th seed this year, became the youngest American to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals since Jennifer Capriati in 1990.

After a quick bathroom break, Anisimova returned more focused, found a bit more control with her powerful groundstrokes and advanced to the net more often to break her opponent's delivery twice to win the second set.

Anisimova had two breakpoint opportunities on Fernandez's first service game in the deciding set but the Canadian served an ace and then hit three crushing winners to hold.

Fernandez got the crucial break in the fifth game to nose ahead in the riveting contest as the American made her frustration evident by throwing her racket away after sending a forehand long.

The Canadian broke again in the ninth, converting her second matchpoint when Anisimova's return did not make it past the net.

Fernandez will play Italian world number 59 Martina Trevisan, who beat 47th-ranked Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 7-6(10) 7-5, for a place in the semi-finals.

Trevisan smiles her way into last eight in Paris

Italian world number 59 Martina Trevisan could not contain her joy when she earned a match point against Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Sunday and she put on her biggest smile before booking her French Open quarter-final spot with a 7-6(10), 7-5 win.

As she prepared to serve on her first match point and dispatch Sasnovich, the diminutive Trevisan, a quarter-finalist in Paris in 2019, beamed one of her trademark smiles and then proceeded to beat the Belarusian and extend her winning run to nine matches.

Trevisan, who had landed her first tour title days before the French Open with victory in Rabat, has so far not dropped a set en route to the last eight.

"I know that it's weird that I was smiling but you know it helped me a lot during the moment of more patience and more nervous," Trevisan said. "I remember to smile and I feel better."

"It's not easy to do because the situation is very tough but I practise it a lot."

She will next face Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the US Open finalist, but the 28-year-old Trevisan feels no pressure and is right at home on the red clay as she looks to improve her Grand Slam record and reach her first ever semi-final.

"Here in Paris there is a magic atmosphere for me. I like so much the court, the bounce is very high but at the same time it's a very fast court," Trevisan said.

"Paris, right now I feel like it's my second home. I am just enjoying the moment. It's two incredible weeks and I keep focus every day on everything I’m doing. Keep smiling, that’s most important, the first thing."