French Open day 10: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic start epic contest in May with match ending in June

Delight for Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal won the epic 59th installment of his rivalry with Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-final of the 2022 French Open.

The Spaniard is through to a 15th Roland Garros semi-final and on course for a 14th title.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz’s run was ended in four sets by Alexander Zverev, and Coco Gauff reached the semi-final of a Grand Slam for the first time by beating fellow American Sloane Stephens.

Here is a look back at day 10 at the US Open.

Picture of the day

Novak Djokovic full stretch

Djokovic at full stretch against Nadal (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

Match of the day

A four-hour, four-set marathon ended at 1.15am local time after Nadal clinched a fourth-set tie-break to seal a memorable 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Djokovic. In fact, they started their contest in May and it came to a conclusion in June.

Shot of the day

Quote of the day

“Just know that if you love yourself, who cares what anyone else thinks?” – Coco Gauff

Tweet of the day

To be honest you could have knocked out a dissertation during some of the games in the Nadal/Djokovic match.

Shock of the day

Martina Trevisan has crept under the radar until she beat 17th seed Laylah Fernandez in three sets to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final at the age of 28. She will face Gauff for a place in the final.

Brit watch

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There was disappointment in the men’s doubles as top seeds Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram lost a match tie-break in their quarter-final against Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek. Neal Skupski and Dutchman Wesley Koolhof were also beaten in three by Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Fallen seeds

Women: Laylah Fernandez (17).
Men: Novak Djokovic (1), Carlos Alcaraz (6).

Up next

Iga Swiatek, the world number one and 2020 champion, faces American 11th seed Jessica Pegula for a place in the semi-finals. The night match sees Danish teenager Holger Rune face Norwegian eighth seed Casper Ruud.

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