Rafael Nadal appears well on his way to a fourth straight French Open championship.
Nadal breezed past Sebastian Korda in a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 romp in their fourth-round match Sunday, continuing the display of dominance he’s shown since arriving at Roland Garros. The 12-time French Open champion has not dropped a set and has lost two or fewer games in eight sets through four matches.
Korda, an unseeded 20-year-old American who made a surprise run to Round 4, has said Nadal was an inspiration to him growing up in the sport.
“It is a real honor [to have inspired Sebastian],” Nadal told reporters. “All of my generation tried very hard to be passionate, to play every single day trying our best, and if that is a good inspiration for the young generation, that is good. I am very happy for that.
“I really believe that we are looking at a great player [in Sebastian]. He is young. Of course, he had some mistakes in some important moments, but the way that he hit the ball was really impressive.”
Nadal has just two career losses at Roland Garros, boasting a 97-2 overall record—the best mark any player has at any Grand Slam. His 12 French Open titles are the most of any player at any Slam.
Nadal will face another unseeded opponent in his next match, Italian Jannik Sinner, who upset Alexander Zverev in their fourth-round matchup. Sinner, who is just 19 years old, had never played past the second round of a Slam before Paris.
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