Rafael Nadal keeps third Olympic gold dream alive
1. Andy Murray once again came back from the dead
PARIS: Rafael Nadal kept his dream of a third Olympic gold alive on Tuesday, advancing to the men's doubles quarter-finals alongside teammate Carlos Alcaraz, while Andy Murray staged another dramatic comeback.
In the women's draw, a tearful Coco Gauff was eliminated from the singles after a heated argument with the umpire, whereas top seed Iga Swiatek cruised into the last eight.
In the men's singles, defending champion Alexander Zverev reached the third round with a straight-sets victory over the Czech Republic's Tomas Machac. Russia's Daniil Medvedev, playing as a neutral, also advanced to the last 16.
With temperatures soaring into the mid-30s Celsius, officials activated a heat protocol at Roland Garros, allowing a 10-minute break between the second and third sets.
Nadal returned to the court alongside Alcaraz just 24 hours after being ousted from the singles competition by Novak Djokovic in their 60th match. The Spanish duo, cheered on by a lively crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen, lost the second set but elevated their game in the match tie-break to defeat the Dutch team of Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 10-2 in two hours and 22 minutes.
"We had fun because the score was positive in the (match) tie-break," said Nadal. "We have been suffering, but we are enjoying playing together, creating good synergies, good energy, so yeah, we are having fun in general terms."
The 38-year-old, a 14-time French Open champion, has struggled with injuries in recent years and has dropped to 161st in the world rankings. After his defeat to Djokovic, Nadal mentioned he would decide on his future following the Paris Games, where he still has a chance to add to his singles gold from the 2008 Beijing Games and his doubles triumph in Rio in 2016.
Murray magic
Britain's Andy Murray, playing his final tournament alongside Dan Evans in the doubles, saved match points for the second consecutive round. Murray and Evans defeated Belgium's Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-3, 6-7 (8/10), 11-9 to reach the quarter-finals. They saved two match points in the tense final-set tie-break, just two days after saving five match points in their opening-round victory.
Murray said he cried "happy tears" on court after securing the emotional win. "Excited that we managed to get through another amazing finish," said the three-time Grand Slam champion. "It takes a lot out of you, that sort of stuff. So I'm glad we got a day off tomorrow!"
Earlier, Croatia's Donna Vekic shocked women's world number two Gauff 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, but the match was marred by a lengthy argument between the US Open champion and the chair umpire. Gauff, the flag-bearer for the United States at the Olympic opening ceremony alongside NBA star LeBron James, argued with the official at the end of the sixth game of the second set. At 30-40, Vekic hit a return deep to Gauff's forehand, which the American mishit into the net. Vekic's shot was called out but was overruled by the chair umpire, awarding the point to Vekic and giving her a crucial break. Gauff contended that her shot was compromised by the initial call.
"I have to advocate for myself all the time," a weeping Gauff, 20, said on court. "I'm getting cheated in this game. You guys are not fair to me."
Despite briefly losing her composure, Vekic, the world number 21, recovered to hold serve and broke Gauff again.
Swiatek won her 24th straight match on the clay courts of Paris, defeating China's Wang Xiyu 6-3, 6-4. She will face America's Danielle Collins next. There were also wins for three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber of Germany.
