Rafael Nadal, the undisputed king of clay, overcame a shaky start to defeat Italian teenager Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 on Monday, securing a spot in the French Open quarterfinals. The defending champion, eyeing a historic 14th Roland Garros singles title and the prospect of claiming a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam singles crown, extended his remarkable streak to 35 consecutive sets in Paris.
Despite trailing 5-3 in the opening set, the 19-year-old World No. 19 Sinner, hailed as the next big thing in tennis, faced an insurmountable challenge against Nadal on court Philippe Chatrier. Nadal, the third seed, will now face Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals, setting the stage for a rematch of the previous edition’s semi-final clash.
Reflecting on the match, Nadal acknowledged the talent of his opponent, stating, “I played against a very good player who has a great future, and I’m very happy with the win.” He admitted to a brief lapse in his own performance, saying, “I played too defensive for a few games and gave him the chance to step into the court and play his shots. After that, the match changed a lot.”
Sinner initially seized a break with Nadal struggling with his first serve, but a series of uncharacteristic errors allowed Nadal to level the set at 5-5. The Spanish maestro then broke again to secure the opening set. Despite a brief resurgence from Sinner, Nadal regained control, winning eight consecutive games and ultimately taking the match in straight sets.
With his 104th match win at Roland Garros, Nadal has not tasted defeat at the Paris Grand Slam tournament since 2015, setting the stage for a potential semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic, the only player to eliminate him in the last eight that year.