A couple does not form overnight. Saying “I love you” is not enough to claim two people are truly together. Time is the essential ingredient. To love and know each other more with each new day, to navigate crises that arise along the way, whether the central focus is passion or a shared objective. Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal have spent years building something deeper together.
The two greatest Spanish tennis players in history are moving beyond memories like a casual greeting. They are maturing as a pair, a process proven by their steady clockwork during the Olympic tournament, which has carried them to the quarterfinals after beating the Netherlands. Wesley Koolhof and Tallon Griekspoor claimed a 6-4, 7-6 and 10-2 victory to set the pace.
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Super tiebreaker, decisive
Couples do face crises. They must learn to overcome them. That is exactly what happened against the Netherlands on a hot Tuesday in Paris. They felt the pressure, the second set was tightly contested, and they responded with resolve in the super tiebreaker. They faced the cliff, embraced, and avoided falling. The first major hurdle was overcome.
In their opening clash against a solid duo, the Argentinian team of Gonzalez and Molteni, they appeared more dispersed than cohesive, driven by individual talent rather than teamwork. Signs of cohesion emerged in Suzanne-Lenglen, as the pair began to click into a coordinated, compact rhythm. They were in the process of becoming a true partnership, though victory remained uncertain. Magic, if it comes, would have to wait for another round.
In their second meeting, everything unfolded without the crowd’s emotional weight. The match was more serious and methodical in front of a formidable, seasoned duo who helped the Spanish pair grow. Two victories on the board would secure an Olympic medal.
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One set per couple
The match unfolded with a clean, understated style, measured in a sans serif rhythm with little fanfare. The first set went to the Dutch and Spanish teams in the seventh game, with Alcaraz delivering a smart breakthrough to seal a service break that the opponents could not derail (6-4).
Alcaraz showed speed and agility, though he was cautious at times, and in the second set his movement felt less explosive. Nadal stepped in with veteran poise to steady the course.
They could not prevent the tiebreaker from stretching to the limit, and the Dutch prevailed. An exhausted Alcaraz showed signs of fatigue, yet the duo rallied with strong, decisive play in the super tiebreaker, winning 10-2.
The quarterfinals will pit the Spanish pair against the United States duo, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, who defeated the Brazilian pair Monteiro and Seyboth Wild in two sets (6-4 and 7-6).
Granollers and Carreño eliminated
Spain remains represented in the men’s doubles by Nadal and Alcaraz, while Marcel Granollers and Pablo Carreño fell to the Australian team Ebden and Peers (6-2, 7-5). The women’s doubles, Sara Sorribes and Cristina Bucsa, defeated the Argentinians Carle and Podoroska 6-3, 6-4, leaving Spain with multiple medal possibilities at these Games, including Alcaraz’s singles run.