Rafael Nadal set up a mouthwatering clash with Novak Djokovic in the ongoing French Open 2022 after a barnstorming fourth-round battle with Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday.
No.9 seed Auger-Aliassime pushed Nadal to the limit but in the final set, Nadal turned on the style to finish off a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory. In a dramatic clash, Nadal lost the first set in a match at Roland Garros for just the 11th time. However, the 13-time champion kept his composure and demonstrated his trademark winning mentality to advance after four hours and 23 minutes on a court he has had so much success on.
Prior to Sunday, Nadal had been taken to five sets in just two of his 111 matches at the event. He defeated John Isner 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4 in 2011 and overcame Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7 in 2013. With his victory, the 35-year-old has now reached the quarter-finals in 16 of his 18 appearances in Paris.
The fifth seed will next face Djokovic after the top seed defeated Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. The Serbian defeated the Spaniard in the semi-finals last year before he downed Stefanos Tsitsipas to lift the trophy in Paris for the second time. Djokovic leads Nadal 30-28 in their head-to-head series. Nadal has won seven of their nine matches at Roland Garros.