PARIS (AP) — For the first time in his career, Rafael Nadal will make a fifth straight appearance in the French Open quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Another upset never seemed possible this time, despite complaints of pain in his back that slowed his serves in the previous round.<\/p>\n
”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.”<\/p>\n
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…<\/p>\n