French Open 2022: Rafael Nadal enters final, to face Casper Ruud

The Spaniard inches closer to a 14th title at the prestigious tournament.

French Open 2022 has provided plenty of entertainment to the fans. There have been many iconic moments from the championship this year as it reaches its last few days. Fifth seed Rafael Nadal gets one more step closer to yet another Men’s Singles title. He reached the final after his opponent Alexander Zverev suffered a nasty injury and retired from the semi-final. 

The 13-time French Open winner will have the chance to win the tournament for the 14th time on Sunday. However, the semi-final between Nadal and Zverev was eventful for different reasons. The German was in a good rhythm before turning his ankle while chasing a ball at the Court Philippe Chatrier. The third seed was crying in agony due to the pain and at that point, he was trailing Nadal by 7-6 (10-8), 6-6.

An emotional end to Alexander Zverev’s tournament

Following treatment by the medics and a few minutes later, the 25-year-old returned to the court on crutches, unable to continue. In an emotional state, Alexander Zverev conceded the match, propelling Nadal to the final. Despite making it through to his 14th French Open final, Rafael was sympathetic to his opponent’s injury and gave him a hug thus expressing his support. 

“It’s very tough and very sad for him. He was playing an unbelievable tournament and he’s a very good colleague on the tour. I know how much he’s fighting to win a Grand Slam. For the moment, he was very unlucky. I’m sure he’ll win not one, but much more than one. I wish him all the best.” said Nadal in his post-match reaction.

Alexander Zverev was pushing Rafael Nadal to his absolute limits. Incidentally, the first set went on for a mammoth duration of 91 minutes. The second set too went into a tie break and one of the many rallies saw 44 shots between the two players before World No.3 rolled his ankle.

Casper Ruud beats Martin Cilic

Casper Ruud will be Rafael Nadal’s opponent in the final of the Men’s Singles at the French Open 2022. He becomes the first Norwegian player to reach the final of the championship at Roland Garros. On his way to set up a tasty final with his “idol” Nadal, Ruud had to face Cilic in the semi-final.

Showing a brilliant brand of tennis, World number eight Ruud defeated Croatia’s Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. The game was also affected by a protestor breaching the court and tying herself to the net. “It was a great match from my side, I didn’t start the greatest but Marin played a very good first set,” said the Norwegian star.

The 23-year-old mentioned that Rafael Nadal is his inspiration and that playing him in the final is a major feat. He said, “I look up to Rafa. He’s the perfect example of how to behave on the court, never give up and never complain. He’s been my idol all my life.”

Women’s Doubles finalists confirmed

The American pair of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will be one of the two finalists for the Women’s Doubles title. The eighth seeds got the better of their countrywomen Taylor Townsend and Madison Keys by a 6-4, 7-6(7-4) score. They will face the unseeded pairing of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic who beat the 14th seeds Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok by 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the final.

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