Rafael Nadal

The 2021 French Open men's and women's singles draws were released Thursday, with Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty as the No. 1 seeds in their respective brackets.

Djokovic, 13-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal and 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer are all on the same side of the men's tournament:

2021 men's singles draw 👇#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/1KbyAN2V3a

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2021

Barty, who won the 2019 French Open but skipped last year's event amid the COVID-19 pandemic, received a favorable draw with Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams among the big names in the opposite half:

2021 women's singles draw 👇#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/GfB9eJzgHJ

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2021

Djokovic and reigning French Open champion Nadal faced off in the Rome Masters final earlier this month, with the King of Clay scoring a three-set victory, and they're the top two players to beat in the French Open. It's unfortunate they can't meet in the final of the season's second Grand Slam, but it would make a terrific semifinal.

Federer isn't on the same level right now. He returned in March after 13 months on the sideline since undergoing knee surgery last February.

He's won just one match in the two events he's played this year, and he admitted winning his second title this year at Roland Garros isn't achievable.

"I'm just realistic that I know I will not win the French and whoever thought I would or could win it is wrong," Federer told reporters last week. "Of course, crazier things might have happened, but I'm not so sure in the last 50 years at the French Open, somebody just rocked up at 40 years old, being out for a year and a half and just go on to just win everything straight."

Still, the trio's presence on one side of the draw opens the door for players on the other half, a group led by Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.

On the women's side, a potential third clay championship showdown between Barty and Aryna Sabalenka is in the cards after they landed on opposite side of the draw.

They faced off in both Stuttgart (Barty in three sets) and Madrid (Sabalenka in three sets) over the past month, and a tiebreaker in the French final would be fitting.

Osaka, who's on Sabalenka's side of the draw, is probably the player with the best chance to spoil that budding rivalry. The four-time major champion announced Wednesday she'll skip media briefings throughout the tournament:

❤️ pic.twitter.com/EegFSKnoie

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 26, 2021

Defending women's champ Iga Swiatek is in Barty's half, but a potential meeting wouldn't come until the semifinals.

Meanwhile, It's hard to know what to expect from Williams, who's played just two tournaments since reaching the Australian Open semifinals in February and gone 1-2 in those events.

The 23-time major champion tends to rise to the occasion on the Grand Slam stages, however, so it's impossible to rule out another deep run at Roland Garros.

Play in the French Open begins Sunday with coverage on NBC and Tennis Channel.

Rafael Nadal has a chance to earn as many Roland Garros victories as Pete Sampras had major tournament wins at the 2021 French Open.

The 13-time champion on the Paris clay is once again the favorite to win the event, but he is not one of the top two seeds. 

Novak Djokovic and Danill Medvedev are ranked above the Spanish southpaw for the French Open draw. Roger Federer is even further down the chart as the No. 8 seed. 

The younger generation of men's tennis stars will once again take aim at the "Big Three" of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer, but until that group wins on a consistent basis, the trio of 30-plus-year-olds have to be viewed as favorites at every major. 

The same can't be said on the women's side, especially after Iga Swiatek blew away the competition last fall in Paris. 

Swiatek is the No. 8 seed for this year's event, which welcomes back Ashleigh Barty as the No. 1 seed. Barty did not defend her 2019 French Open title after she opted out of the tournament. 

The 2021 French Open will start on May 30. The women's title match will take place on June 12 and the men's final is scheduled for June 13.

        

2021 French Open Schedule

Dates: May 30-June 13

TV: Tennis Channel and NBC

Live Stream: Peacock, NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app

         

Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Men's Singles

Rafael Nadal (-118; bet $118 to win $100)

Novak Djokovic (+400; bet $100 to win $400)

Stefanos Tsitsipas (+800)

Dominic Thiem (+900)

Alexander Zverev (+1800)

Andrey Rublev (+3300)

     

The older guard of men's tennis has remained dominant at majors, despite all three of them being deep into their 30s. 

Dominic Thiem's 2020 U.S. Open win marked the only time Djokovic, Federer and Nadal did not win a major since 2017. That title may come with an asterisk to some since Djokovic was disqualified from the tournament. 

Thiem is likely the best option to choose from the younger generation to challenge a member of the "Big Three."

The Austrian reached the French Open final in 2018 and 2019, and he has tested Nadal and Djokovic in Grand Slam finals over the last three years. 

Medvedev broke through at the Australian Open with a final appearance, but he lost in straight sets to Djokovic. 

The second-seeded Russian is notoriously bad on the clay. He has four first-round exits at Roland Garros in the last four years, which is why he is down at +9000 to win the French Open. 

Federer is directly in front of Medvedev on the odds chart at +7000. While we know his quality at Grand Slams, the Swiss legend spent most of last season working on injury issues and is not expected to win over Nadal and Djokovic. 

While it may be hard to bet on long shots in the men's field, keep an eye on Jannik Sinner if you choose to go that route. 

The 19-year-old Italian advanced to the French Open quarterfinals in 2020 and is seeded 18th for this year's event. 

          

Women's Singles

Iga Swiatek (+280)

Ashleigh Barty (+460)

Aryna Sabalenka (+650)

Garbine Muguruza (+1200)

Naomi Osaka (+1700)

Serena Williams (+2100)

Elina Svitolina (+2300)

Petra Kvitova (+2500)

     

As always, the women's singles field is much more wide open than the men's bracket, and that typically leads to a more entertaining two weeks of tennis. 

Last fall, Swiatek emerged out of obscurity to become the seventh first-time Grand Slam winner on the women's circuit since 2018. 

Swiatek faces a much different role coming into the 2021 event as the favorite and the No. 8 seed. She followed up the Roland Garros win with a fourth-round run at the Australian Open in February. 

Barty has to be viewed as a strong betting play at +460 since she was the champion two years ago and enters as the No. 1 seed. 

The Australian opened the European clay-court season with a tournament victory in Stuttgart. Aryna Sabalenka beat Barty in the Madrid final and Swiatek captured the Rome title. 

Sabalenka has the most to prove out of the trio of top players on the odds board. She has not made it past the fourth round at a major, but the win over Barty in Madrid may be a sign that she is ready to contend in the second week of a major. 

American teenager Coco Gauff is worth a look as a long-shot winner. She captured first at the recently completed tournament in Parma, Italy, and made the semifinals in Rome. 

In addition to the favorites and the top rising star, you always have to consider Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams to be in the mix for major titles.

A lack of recent success in Paris is the reason why Williams and Osaka are deeper on the odds chart than usual. Williams has not won at Roland Garros since 2015, and Osaka has not advanced past the third round in her last four trips to the clay. 

        

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).

21+. NJ/PA/WV/IN/IA/CO/IL/TN only. In partnership with Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details

If Rafael Nadal was ever going to let the pressure get to him, it might be at the 2021 French Open.  

Good thing he thrives in it.

"The day when [you don't feel pressure] is the day to say goodbye," he told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. "Without those emotions, the pressure, it's difficult to play at your best level. I think you need to feel these feelings. It's always a personal pressure, I want to play well, I know the things that I need to do and I know if I am able to play at my highest level I hope to have my chances to play well and to be very competitive there."

Nadal will be looking to make history when this year's French Open starts Monday.

He and Roger Federer are tied with the men's singles record of 20 Grand Slam titles, and it would be a surprise at this point if the King of Clay didn't move into first place on the all-time list with a 21st during the next few weeks.

After all, 13 of Nadal's major championships have come at Roland Garros, and he sports a sparkling 100-2 overall record at the French Open.

His most recent French Open title came in October when he cruised past Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final of the tournament that was postponed four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The victory made him the first player in men's or women's tennis to win 13 championships at any one tour-level event.

Nadal, who turns 35 in June, may not get a better opportunity to move past Federer than a second shot at his best major in an eight-month span, but he is focused more on the tournament itself than the overall big picture.

"I am not approaching the event like it's an amazing opportunity to achieve the 21st Grand Slam," he said. "I'm approaching Roland Garros like I am playing probably the most important event of my tennis career. ... Of course, I would love to have [the 21st], but for me, it's about Roland Garros."

Such razor-sharp focus on the immediate task at hand has helped Nadal become a legend on the court, but he also values his time off it with his family and friends.

That is why he partnered with Amstel ULTRA for its "Choose Your Way to Live" campaign that focuses on finding an active and balanced lifestyle that also includes the important moments away from tennis.

"Amstel thinking about me as a global ambassador is something that I'm very proud of," Nadal said after filming commercials at his home island of Mallorca. "... I am quite happy, I think we're going to have fun and we're going to make some beautiful moments together. ... I am quite comfortable with the company, so I am very excited."

On the court, he is fresh off a record-extending 10th Italian Open title after defeating Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, in the final.

Djokovic told reporters "there is no tougher challenge" than facing Nadal in a clay-court final, which is quite the statement coming from the world's No. 1 player.

"With Roger and Novak, we have been fighting together for such a very, very long time," Nadal said when asked about the comment. "We have a lot of respect for each other, we know how difficult it is to win events when we're playing against each other. It's always beautiful to receive a compliment like Novak said."

No two men have played against each other more in the Open Era than Nadal and Djokovic's 57 matches, and the latter holds a narrow 29-28 lead in the all-time series. Yet Nadal now enjoys a 6-3 advantage in Rome and a 4-2 mark in the event's final.

Few tournaments mean more to him than the one where he won his first title in 2005 as an 18-year-old, and the latest victory only bolstered his confidence heading into the French Open.

"It's a very important event, one of the most historic events in the world of tennis," he said. "For me personally, it's a very special one because I've won this event nine times before the 10th this year, it's a very special place for me. My evolution during the last month has been positive, and the last event was my best event ... that gives me confidence, in some way I think I needed a week like this."

The Italian Open win on clay only underscored Nadal's position as the commanding favorite at Roland Garros, even if he is older at this stage of his career.

"It's similar, but the age is different so the approach is a little bit different," he said of preparation for the tournament. "I have a little bit more passion now than years ago, but that's all about experience."

It's easy to be passionate about dominance, especially when it could result in the most men's Grand Slam titles in history.

Rafael Nadal is the champion at the Rome Masters for the 10th time in his career after a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 win over Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.

10th title in Rome. 🏆@RafaelNadal gets the job done, defeating Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to become the #IBI21 champion. pic.twitter.com/PcMaTNK4Bd

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 16, 2021

It was the 57th all-time match between the superstars and the sixth in the finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, a clay-court event dominated by this duo over the past 20 years.

Nadal came out victorious this time around and is now 28-29 in his career against Djokovic.

The win also gave the No. 3 player in the world his second title in 2021 after winning at Barcelona last month.

Sunday's match began with a close back-and-forth battle that was much different than Nadal's straight-set victory in the 2020 Roland Garros final when they last met.

The two players seemingly got to everything on the court during a first set that lasted an hour and 15 minutes.

Sharp mind, @DjokerNole! ⚡️#IBI21 pic.twitter.com/JXBY76coad

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 16, 2021

OMG Rafa. 😮@RafaelNadal tumbles, but he gets the break point! Who else is watching the first set?

Stream live → https://t.co/tPoe44TDv0#IBI21 pic.twitter.com/xdzaiiGVuc

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 16, 2021

Nothing separating Djokovic & Nadal so far 🚫

3-3 in the first set. Djokovic with 20 points won, Nadal with 19. #IBI21

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 16, 2021

Nadal finally got a key break after a 5-5 tie, winning the first set on his serve one game later.

Djokovic-Nadal has now happened every year since 2006. 😱@RafaelNadal is conquering the clay, stopping the world No. 1 in the first set claiming it, 7-5.

Stream live → https://t.co/tPoe44TDv0
#IBI21 pic.twitter.com/fTnY4m8Qhp

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 16, 2021

It was a completely different story in the second set, however, as Djokovic bounced back with a dominant 6-1 victory.

Djokovic wrestles his way back. 💪@DjokerNole the defending champion steals the second set claiming it, 6-1.

Stream live → https://t.co/tPoe44TDv0#IBI21 pic.twitter.com/OoNcKjwffc

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 16, 2021

Djokovic takes the second set 6-1. More free points on serve, managed to keep Nadal more in BH corner, and some uncharacteristic errors from Rafa.

Big one-two from Novak at BP (1-1), something we haven’t see often today.

— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) May 16, 2021

Djokovic was more accurate with his serve while also winning 57 percent of return points in the set, including going 6-of-9 against the second serve.

It all came down to the decisive third set and a few games that helped determine the match.

After a 2-2 start, Nadal survived two break points in the fifth game for a key hold before taking over the momentum. He broke Djokovic to love in the sixth game and never looked back.

Just. Too. Good.@RafaelNadal #IBI21 pic.twitter.com/GHcTkHWoNh

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 16, 2021

Nadal won 12 of the last 13 points.

Leads Djokovic 5-2 in the 3rd.

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 16, 2021

The Spanish star eventually closed out the win with his serve a few games later for yet another impressive victory on clay.

Nadal's Clay-Court Mastery 🙌

✅ 62 titles
✅ 459-42 career record
✅ 81-match win streak (2005-2007)
✅ 0 losing streaks@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI21

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 16, 2021

Easy to take for granted Nadal’s ability to peak for the business and of the clay season every dang year…but it’s heckin’ impressive.

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 16, 2021

Regardless of the outcome in the final, both players showed throughout the tournament why they remain top contenders for every big event on the calendar. Even as the next generation tries to break through with more championships, Djokovic, 33, and Nadal, 34, continue to thrive when it matters most.

With Roland Garros two weeks away, it will be hard to pick anyone else to win the second Grand Slam of the year.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are set to meet in the finals of the Italian Open for the sixth time after they both won their semifinals Saturday.

As a result of rain delays Friday, Djokovic had to finish his quarterfinal match and play his semifinal match Saturday, while Nadal had the benefit of playing only once.

The final was set in the women's draw as well, with Karolina Pliskova advancing and Iga Swiatek winning two matches to reach her first Italian Open final.

Here is a full rundown of Saturday's results, along with a closer look at some of the top matches.

Saturday's Italian Open Results

Men's quarterfinals: (1) Novak Djokovic def. (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas; 4-6, 7-5, 7-5

Men's quarterfinals: Lorenzo Sonego def. (7) Andrey Rublev; 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

Men's semifinals: (2) Rafael Nadal def. Reilly Opelka; 6-4, 6-4

Men's semifinals: (1) Novak Djokovic def. Lorenzo Sonego; 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2

Women's quarterfinals: (15) Iga Swiatek def. (5) Elina Svitolina; 6-2, 7-5

Women's semifinals: (9) Karolina Pliskova def. Petra Martic; 6-1, 3-6, 6-2

Women's semifinals: (15) Iga Swiatek def. Coco Gauff; 7-6(3), 6-3

              

Multiple players had a busy Saturday at Foro Italico in Rome on Saturday due to Friday's rain, and top-seeded Djokovic was chief among them.

The Djoker finished out his quarterfinal match with fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas early in the day, and he had to come back from a set down to do so, winning both the second and third sets 7-5.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Djokovic said he didn't feel "too exhausted" after beating Tsitsipas since he hadn't played many matches in 2021. He also called it the "toughest match of the year" for him thus far.

Nole showed a lot of emotion following his come-from-behind win:

A Roman Revival! 🇮🇹

The moment @DjokerNole completed a stunning victory over Tsitsipas to advance to his eighth consecutive Rome semi-final...#IBI21 pic.twitter.com/nCEH8ZeM1F

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 15, 2021

Like Djokovic, 26-year-old Italian Lorenzo Sonego had to play twice Saturday, and he too had a grueling quarterfinal match, coming from a set down to upset seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev.

Before Djokovic and Sonego's semifinal, second-seeded Nadal faced a tough challenge from 6'11" American Reilly Opelka, who gave Nadal all he could handle with his big serve.

Nadal was able to break Opelka's serve once in each set, though, which ended up being the difference in the win. Nadal also did a great job moving Opelka around the baseline:

Some days you can do no wrong 😲

🎥: @TennisTV | @RafaelNadal | #IBI21pic.twitter.com/MHvZQk25Li

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 15, 2021

With the triumph, Nadal advanced to his 12th career Italian Open final, which is tied for his second-most final appearances at any tournament, behind only the French Open at 13:

Most finals reached by Rafael Nadal 🎾

🇫🇷 Roland Garros: 13 (13-0)
🇪🇸 Barcelona: 12 (12-0)
🇲🇨 Monte-Carlo: 12 (11-1)
🇮🇹 Rome: 12 (9-2)

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 15, 2021

After both Djokovic and Sonego grinded out wins earlier in the day, they met in a semifinal that went the distance.

Djokovic won the first set and seemed poised to cruise to a straight-set win, but Sonego forced and won a tiebreak in the second set, which meant the match would required a decisive third set.

Djokovic proved too much for the underdog in the third, winning it 6-2 to set up a final clash with Nadal.

Nadal is 3-2 against Djokovic in the Italian Open final, including a three-set win two years ago, but Djokovic is the defending champion in the event, meaning Sunday's match should be tightly contested.

On the women's side, 15th-seeded Iga Swiatek had a day to remember, as she upset No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarters before outlasting 17-year-old American Coco Gauff in the semis.

Swiatek had everything working Saturday, even earning a point after a between-the-legs shot against Gauff:

Serve and tweener? 😜@iga_swiatek | #IBI21 pic.twitter.com/H7jwX1Op0I

— wta (@WTA) May 15, 2021

Ultimately, the 2020 French Open champion executed better than Gauff, as she had half as many unforced errors in the win, per WTA Insider:

On Sunday @InteBNLdItalia, Iga Swiatek will play Karolina Pliskova for her 1st WTA 1000 title, 2nd title of the season, and a spot in the Top 10.

Follows up her win over Elina Svitolina this morning with a 76 63 win over Coco Gauff. #ibi21 pic.twitter.com/l0kDUDXM9L

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) May 15, 2021

Swiatek will look to secure a huge clay tournament win Sunday ahead of the start of her French Open defense on May 24, but she will be faced with a tough opponent in the form of ninth-seeded Karolina Pliskova.

Pliskova will be playing in her third consecutive Italian Open final, and she will be in search of her second Italian Open title after beating Johanna Konta in 2019.

Pliskova beat Petra Martic in a three-set affair Saturday, imposing her will on Martic in both the first and third sets.

Rafael Nadal moved within two wins of his 10th Italian Open title with a straight-sets victory over Alexander Zverev in the men's quarterfinals Friday at Foro Italico in Rome.

Ashleigh Barty, the top seed in the women's draw, was forced to retire from her quarterfinal against American teenager Coco Gauff because of an arm injury after winning the first set.

Let's check out all of the scores from Friday's clay-court matches, the remainder of which were postponed because of rain. That's followed by a recap of some top storylines.

---

Men's Quarterfinals

(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas leads (1) Novak Djokovic; 6-4, 2-1 (suspended)

(2) Rafael Nadal d. (6) Alexander Zverev; 6-3, 6-4

(7) Andrey Rublev vs. Lorenzo Sonego; postponed

Reilly Opelka d. Federico Delbonis; 7-5, 7-6 (2)

---

Women's Quarterfinals

Coco Gauff d. (1) Ashleigh Barty; 4-6, 1-2 (ret.)

(5) Elina Svitolina vs. (15) Iga Swiatek; postponed

(9) Karolína Pliskova d. Jelena Ostapenko; 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1)

Petra Martic d. Jessica Pegula; 7-5, 6-4

---

Day 7 Recap

Nadal bounced back from a mediocre performance against Denis Shapovalov on Thursday with a better overall showing to move past Zverev in relatively routine fashion.

It still wasn't a perfect showing from the King of Clay, as he faced 10 break points, but his play on the match's most important points was nearly impeccable. He saved nine of those break chances against and converted three of his six break opportunities against the German star, who beat him in last week's Madrid Open.

"[I'm] happy. I played a very solid match with not many mistakes, playing the way that I have to," Nadal told reporters. "[It's] an important victory for me against a great player."

He'll be a heavy favorite against Opelka in the semifinals.

Revenge in Rome!@RafaelNadal ends a run of three defeats to Zverev with a 6-3 6-4 victory in the Italian capital.#IBI21 pic.twitter.com/VYEfaXc3xM

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 14, 2021

Barty has been in terrific form lately, winning the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and reaching the final of the Madrid Open, but she explained the arm injury that forced her to withdraw from the Italian Open is an ailment she's been trying to manage for years.

"The pain was becoming too severe so it was important to listen to my body and and do the right thing knowing we have a Slam," Barty said.

The main draw of the French Open, the season's second major, is scheduled to begin May 30.

Barty's departure creates a golden opportunity for Gauff, who will appear in her first Masters tournament semifinal.

"It's not a way you want to win a match," Gauff said. "... Obviously I felt for her, but when you have the chance to play the No. 1 player in the world, it's not a good feeling to win this way. I send the best well wishes, and hopefully she can get well before the French Open."

🇺🇸 @CocoGauff is through to the semifinals in Rome after Ash Barty is forced to retire due to an injury pic.twitter.com/3IoX4jsSzo

— USTA (@usta) May 14, 2021

The three remaining quarterfinals will be finished Saturday. The tournament hasn't announced an updated schedule for the remainder of the event.

Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both advanced to the men's quarterfinals in the 2021 Italian Open on Thursday to remain on a potential collision course for the final.

In the women's bracket, No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty cruised through to the quarterfinals with a straight-sets victory over Veronika Kudermetova, but another meeting with Aryna Sabalenka isn't in the cards as the 23-year-old rising star was upset by American teenager Coco Gauff.

Let's check out all of the scores from Thursday's singles matches at Foro Italico in Rome, which will be updated through the conclusion of play. That's followed by a recap of the day's top clay-court action.

---

Men's Results

(1) Novak Djokovic d. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina; 6-2, 6-1

(2) Rafael Nadal d. (13) Denis Shapovalov; 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3)

Lorenzo Sonego d. (4) Dominic Thiem; 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5)

(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas d. (9) Matteo Berrettini; 7-6 (3), 6-2

(6) Alexander Zverev d. Kei Nishikori; 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

(7) Andrey Rublev d. (10) Roberto Bautista Agut: 6-4, 6-4

Reilly Opelka d. Aslan Karatsev; 7-6 (6), 6-4

Federico Delbonis d. Felix Auger-Aliassime; 7-6 (3), 6-1

---

Women's Results

(1) Ashleigh Barty d. Veronika Kudermetova; 6-3, 6-3

(5) Elina Svitolina d. (12) Garbine Muguruza; 6-4, 6-2

Coco Gauff d. (7) Aryna Sabalenka; 7-5, 6-3

(9) Karolina Pliskova d. Vera Zvonareva; 7-5, 6-3

(15) Iga Swiatek d. Barbora Krejcikova; 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5

Petra Martic d. Nadia Podoroska; 3-6, 6-1, 6-2

Jessica Pegula d. Ekaterina Alexandrova; 6-2, 6-4

Jelena Ostapenko d. Angelique Kerber; 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

---

Day 6 Recap

Davidovich Fokina has produced some promising results throughout the clay-court season, including an upset Grigor Dimitrov of the first round in Rome, but he was no match for Djokovic on Thursday.

The defending Italian Open champion needed barely over an hour to advance on the strength of five breaks. It was a highly efficient performance, with the 33-year-old Serb winning 68 percent of the points on serve and 56 percent while returning.

"I thought I played well," Djokovic told reporters. "He started well and broke my serve in the first game. I made some errors, but I managed to break back right away and establish the control and consistency on the court. I think from the back of the court I was just a bit more solid than him."

He moves on to face Tsitsipas in the marquee match of the men's quarters.

A 15th quarter-final in 15 Rome appearances! 👏

Five-time champion @DjokerNole defeats Davidovich Fokina 6-2 6-1 in 70 minutes.#IBI21 pic.twitter.com/zwhzsfIpNQ

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 13, 2021

Nadal found himself down a set and trailing 3-0 in the second set before he finally started to find a groove. He won six of the next seven games to force a deciding set.

The King of Clay faced a match point in his last service game of the final set, but he saved the break point and proceeded to win the match in a tiebreak.

It was far from his best performance, as shown by Shapovalov's 12 aces, but Nadal came up big in the clutch to keep his pursuit of a 10th Italian Open title alive.

A true warrior 💪

🎥: @TennisTV | @RafaelNadal | #IBI21pic.twitter.com/Y2hiOeNTp0

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 13, 2021

Barty has reached the final in her last two tournaments, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the Madrid Open, and she's steamrolling in that direction again after breezing past Kudermetova.

The 2019 French Open champion has established herself as the favorite for this year's trip to Roland Garros with her recent form. That trend continued Thursday with nine aces and four breaks to avoid even a hint of third-round drama.

"Without a doubt, happy with how we were able to tactically move about that match today and kind of stick to what we hoped would work and be able to execute," Barty said.

Victory lap for 🇦🇺 @ashbarty as the fans are back in Rome 👋

The World No.1 is through to face Gauff in the @InteBNLdItalia quarterfinals! 🍿 pic.twitter.com/qtbKqMCHVf

— wta (@WTA) May 13, 2021

Two Americans, Gauff and Pegula, were among the other notable winners on the women's side.

The Italian Open continues Friday with the quarterfinals in both draws. The champions will be crowned Sunday.

Serena Williams encountered a stumbling block on her road to the French Open, while Rafael Nadal is moving on to add to what's already a record title haul in Rome.

Both stars were in action Wednesday at the 2021 Italian Open, with the event serving as one of the final tune-ups before players travel to Paris for the second Grand Slam of the season.

 

Men's Singles Results

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-4

Aslan Karatsev def. No. 3 Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 6-4

No. 4 Dominic Thiem def. Marton Fucsovics 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0

No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-2

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. Hugo Dellien 6-2, 6-2

No. 7 Andrey Rublev def. Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4

No. 9 Matteo Berrettini def. John Millman 6-4, 6-2

No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut def. Cristian Garin 7-6(5), 6-3

Federico Delbonis def. No. 12 David Goffin 6-2, 6-1

No. 13 Denis Shapovalov def. Stefano Travaglia 7-6(2), 6-3

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3

Lorenzo Sonego def. Gianluca Mager 6-4, 6-4

 

Women's Singles Results

No. 1 Ashleigh Barty def. Yaroslava Shvedova 6-4, 6-1

Jessica Pegula def. No. 2 Naomi Osaka 7-6(2), 6-2 

Angelique Kerber def. No. 3 Simona Halep 1-6, 3-3(ret.)

Barbora Krejcikova def. No. 4 Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-4

No. 5 Elina Svitolina def. Amanda Anisimova 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka def. Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5, 6-1

Nadia Podoroska def. No. 8 Serena Williams 7-6(6), 7-5

No. 9 Karolina Pliskova def. Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-3 

Vera Zvonareva def. No. 11 Petra Kvitova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

No. 12 Garbine Muguruza def. Bernarda Pera 2-6, 6-0, 7-5 

Ekaterina Alexandrova def. No. 13 Jennifer Brady (walkover)

No. 15 Iga Swiatek def. Madison Keys 7-5, 6-1

Petra Martic def. Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-3

Veronika Kudermetova def. Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-4

Coco Gauff def. Maria Sakkari 6-1, 1-6, 6-1

Jelena Ostapenko def. Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 7-6(3) 

 

Wednesday Recap

Wednesday wasn't a good time to be a seeded player in the women's singles draw. Williams was one of four in the top 10 to exit the tournament, though Simona Halep's defeat was due to a calf injury.

Her status for the French Open might be in doubt as well as the 2018 champion announced she has a tear in her left calf:

but I will do everything I can to take care of the injury and be back as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your support and I’ll keep you posted on my progress 🙏

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) May 12, 2021

Elsewhere, Sofia Kenin was unable to rebound from a poor first set and lost to Barbora Krejcikova. The opposite was true of Naomi Osaka, who went to a first-set tiebreaker with Jessica Pegula and then wilted in the second.

One poor result isn't necessarily a cause for concern ahead of a major tournament. For Williams, however, her performance Wednesday might be a bad omen heading into Roland Garros.

The 39-year-old doesn't keep up a full-time schedule. The Italian Open was her first WTA event since the Australian Open in February. A level of rust was apparent as she committed 18 unforced errors in the second set alone, per WTATennis.com. 

"I have been training for months, but it feels definitely different on clay to make that last adjustment," Williams said after the match. "Just filling out the game, finding the rhythm. Even sliding and confidence with that, with movement. ... That's always like a little struggle in the first two matches, and then I'm raring to go."

While a three-time French Open champion, Paris is where Williams has historically struggled the most. Her last quarterfinal appearance was in 2016. Nobody will count her out completely, but the absence of competitive matches relative to her competitors is likely to be an issue:

Serena Williams loses to Podoroska, 7-6, 7-5. The conundrum for Serena is trying to be a part-time tour player while trying to contend in majors. One match in four months going into Roland Garros isn’t going to cut it. She needs more reps.

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) May 12, 2021

The men's draw didn't provide anywhere near the same kind of surprises. Aslan Karatsev sent No. 3 Daniil Medvedev packing. Fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem dropped his first set against Marton Fucsovics and needed a tiebreaker to stay alive in the second before rolling to victory in the third.

Nadal encountered some stiff resistance from Jannik Sinner.

Sinner broke the 20-time Grand Slam champion's serve in the first set, which set the tone in a match where neither player could enjoy a lead for very long. Nadal immediately broke back in the second game, and the reverse happened across the fifth and sixth games.

Down 5-6 and serving to force a tiebreaker, Sinner successfully fought off three break-point opportunities before Nadal took the set.

The 19-year-old Italian jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the second frame before Nadal responded with a pair of service breaks to reel off four straight games.

THAT was a match! 👏

🎥: @TennisTV | @RafaelNadal | @janniksin | #IBI21pic.twitter.com/WpNRvNQHoo

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 12, 2021

The 34-year-old will meet No. 13 Denis Shapovalov in the third round on Thursday, so the road to a 10th Italian Open triumph won't get any easier from here.

Rafael Nadal will have to wait longer to win his sixth Madrid Open.

The Spanish star was defeated in straight sets in Friday's quarterfinal match by No. 5 Alexander Zverev, who has now defeated Nadal in their last three meetings. 

While winning against the 20-time Grand Slam champion isn't exactly a new feeling, he had never sent Nadal packing on a clay court before Friday. 

STILL undefeated on the Madrid center court! 🏟@AlexZverev wins 10 of the last 14 games to beat Nadal 6-4 6-4 and reach the Madrid semi-finals, where he will face Thiem#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/rzkYGB2AW1

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 7, 2021

“Beating Rafa on a clay court is the hardest thing in our sport,” Zverev told reporters after the win. “Not many people have done it. This week so far it’s been incredible for me. It’s an incredible feeling right now.”

Zverev. “One of my best ever wins. On clay against Rafa. In Spain. It’s special. But the tournament isn’t over”

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 7, 2021

His victory headlined a slate of otherwise predictable results to set up Saturday's semifinals. 

---

Friday Scores

Casper Ruud def. Alexander Bublik 7-5, 6-1

No. 5 Alexander Zverev def. No. 1 Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4

No. 3 Dominic Thiem def. John Isner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

No. 8 Matteo Berrettini def. No. 16 Cristian Garin 5-7, 6-3, 6-0

Draw via Madrid Open. 

---

Recap

The legendary Nadal had a 4-2 advantage in the first set before Zverev battled back. He broke Nadal's serve twice in that set en route to his four-game winning streak to set up his second-set advantage. 

He won 82 percent of his first serves compared to 62 percent for Nadal, giving up just a pair of break points. 

"Playing against one of the best players in the world, under these circumstances, with this speed of the court, is very difficult to still [feel] confident," Nadal said. "I tried, but the serve was difficult to control today. Well done for him."

An entertaining rally from Nadal and Zverev - filmed from court level 🎥#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/tSx5qFfZFz

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 7, 2021

Nadal will now turn his attention to seeking his 14th French Open title. As for the 24-year-old rising star Zverev, he will battle Dominic Thiem in the semifinals, facing another familiar opponent.

The pair met in the 2018 Madrid Open final, when Thiem fell to Zverev in straight sets. 

The U.S. Open champion advanced to the semifinals after coming back to defeat John Isner in three sets. Isner came away with the first set, but the Austrian star broke him down in ensuing action. He won two of four break points compared to Isner, who couldn't regain control and won just one of seven. 

FOURTH semi-final in a row in Madrid!

@ThiemDomi denies Isner a chance at his 100th career third set tiebreak, defeating him 3-6 6-3 6-4!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/RFjqkKfTCU

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 7, 2021

He entered the match knowing he would have to break down Isner's serve, heralding the American as "one of the best servers in history." On Friday, the 27-year-old hung right there with him, winning 79 percent of his first serves and 58 percent of his second serves, both figures that bested Isner. 

Still, Isner came away with 18 aces on Friday. 

Nothing gonna stop @JohnIsner doing his thing...

Four aces in a row on the clay! 🚀#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/9AB16YYLnu

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 7, 2021

In the second semifinal, Norway's Casper Ruud will face Matteo Berrettini after both came away in their quarterfinal matches.

Ruud, who like Zverev is undefeated in the Madrid Open thus far, is headed to his third consecutive Masters 1000 semifinal on clay after he cruised to a second set win following a tight 7-5 first-set victory. 

A THIRD straight Masters 1000 clay-court semi-final for @CasperRuud98!

The Norwegian eases past Bublik 7-5 6-1 to reach the last 4 in Madrid#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/GX26RcgbOx

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 7, 2021

The 22-year-old, who hasn't forced a break point all week, won three of nine break points and won as many as eight points in a row while cruising to the win. Alexander Bublik never won consecutive games, dropping 65 percent of his second serves throughout the match.

Cristian Garin took the first set, 7-5, marking the first time all week that Berrettini was a set down. 

Throwing everything at each other right from the start 🔥#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/JMKFGJSaAK

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 7, 2021

But the Italian came storming back, first winning five straight games to force a decisive third set, where he didn't relent and come up with the 6-0 win that sealed his trip to the semifinals. 

Rafael Nadal continues to look good in his final tune-up event ahead of the French Open. 

After dropping just three games in a straight-set win over Carlos Alcaraz to open the 2021 Madrid Open, Nadal advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Alexei Popyrin. 

A five-time champion at this tournament, Nadal is peaking at the right time heading into Roland Garros. He's won seven straight matches overall dating back to the Barcelona Open two weeks ago. 

---

2021 Madrid Open Results - Thursday

Rafael Nadal def. Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3

Alexander Bublik def. Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 6-3

Dominic Thiem def. Alex De Minaur 7-6 (9-7), 6-4

Cristian Garin def. Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-7, 6-1

John Isner def. Andrey Rublev 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(4)

Casper Ruud def. Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(4), 6-4

Matteo Berrettini def. Federico Delbonis 7-6(4), 6-4

Alexander Zverev vs. Daniel Evans 6-3, 7-6(3)

Ashleigh Barty def. Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-3

Aryna Sabalenka def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-3

---

Recap

If history is any indication, a win for Nadal this weekend is good news for his chances at the French Open. His five wins in Madrid have all coincided with him going on to win at Roland Garros, most recently in 2017. 

Popyrin did have some moments in the match to keep both sets fairly close, but the 21-year-old qualifier was eventually overwhelmed by Nadal. 

Rafael Nadal is 40-0 v. qualifiers and 10-0 v. Aussies on clay.#InfosysStats | @MutuaMadridOpen

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 6, 2021

Nadal helped keep Popyrin in the match with some sloppy moments. He was visibly upset after an unforced error in the first set. 

Rafa was NOT happy with this unusual miss 😠#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/nkvwGyLg83

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 6, 2021

Speaking to reporters after his win, Nadal did note the court conditions made things difficult. 

"The court today was slippery, it was very fast, very dry conditions," he said. "The ball was flying a lot. The beginning of the match was super tough," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "He was hitting every ball and hitting the spots. Very happy with the victory. It was an important victory, he came here playing well. Every match is tough."

Despite some hiccups, Nadal was able to secure a spot in the Madrid Open quarterfinal for the 15th time in his storied career. 

The biggest upset on the men's side saw No. 4 Stefanos Tsitispas sent home by unranked Casper Ruud 7-6(4), 6-4. 

Tsitispas looked to be hitting his stride this season after winning the Monte Carlo Masters and advancing to the Barcelona Open final before losing to Nadal in three sets. 

Even though the loss does count as an upset, Ruud is on the rise in the ATP standings. The 22-year-old made it to the fourth round at the Australian Open for the first time in his career. He beat three ranked opponents at the Monte Carlo Masters before losing to Andrey Rublev in the final. 

Casper Ruud is yet to face a break point this week (!) and gets the biggest win of his career (in terms of ranking) to beat #5 (and in form) Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(4), 6-4 and reach the QFs in Madrid.

Top 20 debut expected, gets Bublik tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/ZLffVCGXPp

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 6, 2021

Ruud has just one win on the ATP Tour in his career to this point at the 2020 Argentina Open. His performance in his first three matches in Madrid suggests he could add another title to his resume by the end of the weekend. 

On the women's side of the bracket, top seed Ashleigh Barty locked up a spot in Saturday's final. She ended Paula Badosa's surprise run that included a victory over No. 8 Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals. 

Sweet 16 for the Barty Party 🥳

🇦🇺 @ashbarty notches her sixteenth consecutive win on red clay, beating Badosa in straight sets to reach the #MMOPEN final! pic.twitter.com/nf7p1qYefj

— wta (@WTA) May 6, 2021

Barty got past Badosa 6-4, 6-3 to reach the championship match at this tournament for the first time in her career. Badosa's win in their previous matchup at the Car Open remains Barty's only blemish in her past 17 matches. 

The Aussie has won two of her last three events, including a run at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix with three straight victories over top-10 opponents. 

Per WTA.com, Barty has won 16 consecutive clay-court matches. 

"I've learned a lot more about [clay], without a doubt," Barty told reporters after her win. "I promise you, I'm still counting down to the grass court season. It's one of my favorite times of the year. I think the memories and the learnings now that we're getting from the red clay has been really cool, to be able to challenge myself in different ways."

Barty's success on clay dates back to her breakthrough win at the 2019 French Open. It remains her only appearance in a grand slam final to date.       

Standing in Barty's way is Aryna Sabalenka, who has yet to drop a set through four matches this week. The 23-year-old defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-3 to reach her second consecutive final. 

Barty defeated Sabalenka in the final at the Tennis Grand Prix two weeks ago in three sets. They have met a total of seven times since 2018, with Barty holding a slight 4-3 edge. 

The men's quarterfinal schedule for Friday includes Nadal taking on Alexander Zverev, Ruud vs. Alexander Bublik, Matteo Berrettini vs. Cristian Garin and John Isner against Dominic Thiem.