PARIS (AP) — For the first time in his career, Rafael Nadal will make a fifth straight appearance in the French Open quarterfinals.
Nadal won a record 32nd straight match at Roland Garros on Monday, beating Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 to improve on his own record by one.
Nadal is an eight-time French Open champion with a 63-1 record on the red clay in Paris. His only loss came in the fourth round in 2009, when he was a four-time defending champion for the first time.
Another upset never seemed possible this time, despite complaints of pain in his back that slowed his serves in the previous round.
”I don’t want to talk too much about this thing today,” Nadal said of his injury. ”I have important match to come. Today I won a match in good shape. We’ll see what’s going on in the future.”
Playing on Court Philippe Chatrier, Nadal’s favorite court in the world, the top-seeded Spaniard controlled the match from the start. He then won 17 straight points to open the second set, taking a 4-0 lead before finally sending a backhand wide to make it 15-15 in the fifth game…
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