Rafael Nadal books his spot in the French Open quarter-finals after winning five set thriller with Felix Auger-Aliassime – with Spaniard set to face Novak Djokovic in the next round
- Rafael Nadal beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3 3-6 in the French Open
- Spaniard will now face Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the competition
- It will be the 59th meeting between the tennis legends when they face off
Rafa 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.
Rafael Nadal beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3 3-6 in the French Open
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.
‘Of course we know each other well. We have a lot of history together,’ Nadal said of Djokovic. ‘I am going to be focused, I will try my best. I don’t know what will happen but I will fight until the end.’
The Spaniard will now face Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the competition
The Spaniard booked his 16th quarter-final at Roland Garros to ensure there will be a thrilling encounter in the next round.
Nadal boasts an impressive record of 109-3 at the French Open – with two of his three defeats coming at the hands of his next opponent.
Djokovic leads their overall series 30-28 but Nadal will be looking to close that gap in their quarter-final encounter.