French Open 2022 LIVE: Different court, same result for Rafael Nadal on Friday at Roland Garros. Playing on Court Suzanne Lenglen for the first time since the 2021 third round, the Spaniard maintained his perfect set record this fortnight with a dominant 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Botic van de Zandschulp. Follow InsideSport.IN for more updates.
French Open 2022 LIVE: Rafael Nadal cruises to the fourth round after defeating Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets third round
Business as usual 💼@RafaelNadal defeats Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the fourth round at #RolandGarros for the 17th time. pic.twitter.com/WL0vnf4LTo
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2022
In a rare appearance outside of Court Philippe Chatrier, where he’s lifted the Roland Garros men’s singles title 13 times, Nadal put in the sort of performance the Paris crowd has come to expect. After dropping serve in the opening game of the match, Nadal settled in on Lenglen and quickly found an untouchable gear. He broke back immediately and held to love in his next five service games, winning 23 straight points on serve as he took the drama out of a potentially tricky third-round contest.
Nadal has dropped just 20 games in nine sets to reach the fourth round, keeping alive the possibility of a fifth Roland Garros title without the loss of a set (2008, 2010, 2017, 2020). He improved to 108-3 (.973) at the tournament, with 88 of those wins coming in straight sets (81.5 per cent).
Nadal advances to face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Filip Krajinovic 7-6(3), 7-6(2), 7-5 in a match that concluded minutes before the Spaniard’s. Auger-Aliassime is coached by Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, in addition to Frederic Fontang. “Uncle Toni” coached his nephew Nadal from childhood and was a part of his team until stepping away in 2017
French Open 2022 LIVE: Rafael Nadal cruises to the fourth round after defeating Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets third round
