Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal clinch second victory in Paris Olympics men’s doubles

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal moved within one match of the medal rounds in men’s doubles on Tuesday, battling past Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 10-2 at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The blockbuster pairing between Alcaraz, the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon winner, and Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, became one of the most anticipated elements of the Olympic tennis event when it was announced in June, and the Spaniards have continued to improve through a second-round victory over Griekspoor and Koolhof, defeating the Dutch pair in two hours and 22 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

Gold medalist in men’s doubles back in 2016, Nadal is playing just his fifth ATP doubles tournament since 2020, preparing for the Olympics by partnering Casper Ruud to reach the Nordea Open semifinals two weeks ago. For Alcaraz, the Games marks the eighth doubles tournament of his career, having last played men’s doubles with Marc Lopez (who won Olympic gold with Nadal back in Rio de Janeiro) in 2022.

“Nadalcaraz” began the week with an upset over No. 6 seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni of Argentina, Alcaraz shaking off jitters of playing alongside his childhood idol to help Nadal advance in straight sets on Saturday. Though their next opponents were unseeded, Koolhof is a former No. 1 in men’s doubles, having won last year’s Wimbledon Championships with Great Britain’s Neal Skupski.

Still, the Spaniards were in control early, putting pressure on serve and nabbing the lone break of the opening set, an exuberant Alcaraz serving it out to 15.

The second set went with serve, both teams navigated tricky service games as the contest edged closer to a tiebreak. Despite twice moving within five points of victory, Alcaraz and Nadal found themselves overwhelmed in the ensuing Sudden Death, winning just two points as Griekspoor and Koolhof forced a deciding 10-point tiebreaker.

Emerging from a brief break with renewed vigor, Alcaraz and Nadal roared through the first five points of the decider and served their way to an 8-1 advantage. A powerful forehand from Alcaraz set up eight match points, and though the Dutch saved one with a strong volley, one last Alcaraz serve edged the Spaniards into the last eight.

Waiting for them there will likely be their biggest test yet in No. 4 seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, both of whom have captured men's doubles major victories in the last two years.