July 31, (THEWILL) – Spain’s tennis stars, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Olympic men’s doubles tournament at Roland Garros. The pair, nicknamed ‘Nadalcraz’, defeated Dutch opponents Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof 6-4 6-7 10-2 on Tuesday.
Despite Nadal’s recent singles loss to Novak Djokovic, the Spanish duo showed strong form on Court Suzanne Lenglen. They won the first set with a crucial break but faced tough resistance in the second, which went to a tiebreak. The Spaniards dominated the deciding third set, displaying their combined power and enthusiasm.
Nadal, who won doubles gold in Rio 2016 with Marc Lopez, highlighted the importance of playing with “happiness and high energy” in doubles. He noted their good relationship off-court helps their on-court performance. The pair will face American fourth seeds Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek in Wednesday’s quarter-final.
In addition to the doubles match, Alcaraz is scheduled to play a singles match against Russian Roman Safiullin on Wednesday. Safiullin, ranked 66th in the world, is competing as a neutral athlete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Spanish team’s progress keeps their hopes alive for an Olympic gold medal. Their performance has drawn significant attention from fans and media, with their partnership being seen as a blend of experience and youth in Spanish tennis.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
