Alcaraz/Nadal light up Paris Olympics, reach QFs

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal are still alive at the Paris Olympics! The Spaniards fought hard and produced trademark moments of magic on Tuesday to earn a thrilling 6-4, 6-7(2), 10-2 win against Dutchmen Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof and reach the quarter-finals.

Nadal was in relaxed mood ahead of the clash, with the 38-year-old cuddling his son in the warmup area before the match. The 92-time tour-level titlist then took to court alongside a pumped-up Alcaraz, with the pair receiving raucous cheers from all corners of the stadium.

Dressed in Spanish red shirts and white shorts, Alcaraz and Nadal applied early pressure and gained the decisive break of a high-quality first set when Alcaraz blasted a bullet forehand crosscourt to break Koolhof’s serve. Both let out a roar, bounced to their chairs and took in the support from the crowd, with Spanish flags spread around Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Alcaraz and Nadal fist-pumped their way through the match, while the crowd regularly leapt to their feet to cheer Nadal’s banana-curling forehand winners and Alcaraz’s lightning-fast hands at the net. In hot Parisian conditions, the Spaniards caught fire in the Match Tie-break. Under pressure, Nadal lifted his level and imposed himself on Griekspoor and Koolhof, striking with intensity on return and finding acute angles to help drive him and Alcaraz to victory.

Nadal is a two-time gold medalist (2008 Beijing singles, 2016 Rio doubles w/ Marc Lopez) and played the role of mentor throughout the clash in Paris. He offered frequent words of encouragement to the 21-year-old Alcaraz, who improved throughout and showed why he is a four-time major champion with a number of explosive winners off the forehand wing and effective moves to the net.

After they sealed victory in two hours and 24 minutes, fans chanted ‘Rafa!” and Spanish captain David Ferrer raised his arms to the sky in delight. Nadal's sole focus is on the doubles after he lost in the singles to Novak Djokovic on Monday and he let out a roar and a beaming smile after clinching the win with Alcaraz. Alcaraz, who defeated Griekspoor in the singles on Monday, is making his Olympic debut and was ecstatic after the pair earned its second win of the week.

Alcaraz and Nadal, who saved all three break points they faced, embraced after the win and then signed balls for the fans courtside.

The Spaniards will next play Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in the quarter-finals. The fourth seeds beat Brazilians Thiago Monteiro and Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 7-6(3).

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