TENNIS – Spain’s raging bulls Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz blazed into the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles as the temperature reached boiling point at Roland Garros yesterday.
Once again the dynamic duo received top billing on the schedule and they did not disappoint a fevered crowd as they fought off Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof to claim a 6-4 6-7(2) 10-2 victory.
Earlier, the women’s singles draw was blown wide open as second seed Coco Gauff, fourth seed Jasmine Paolini and seventh seed Maria Sakkari were all knocked out.
Women’s top seed Iga Swiatek of Poland stayed on course for gold though with a 6-3 6-4 win against China’s Wang Xiyu to reach the quarter-finals.
Defending men’s singles champion Alexander Zverev of Germany stayed on course for a repeat of his Tokyo title with a 6-3 7-5 defeat of Czech player Tomas Machac to reach the third round.
Gauff, like Alcaraz an Olympic debutant, still has medal hopes but not in the singles after her shock exit to Croatia’s 13th seed Donna Vekic.
Italian Paolini lost 7-5 3-6 7-5 to Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova while Sakkari went down in a long battle against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Germany’s Angelique Kerber beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 to reach the last eight where China’s Zheng Qinwen awaits.
The lineup for the women’s quarter-finals is complete with Kostyuk to face Vekic, Schmiedlova up against Czech Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova and Swiatek playing American Danielle Collins.
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