The Rafael Nadal-Carlos Alcaraz pairing is off to a great start in Paris.
Nadal and Alcaraz rolled past the Argentinian doubles pair of Andrés Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez on Saturday in the first full day of the Olympics. They picked up a quick 7-6, 6-4 win in straight sets to advance out of the first round at Roland Garros in what was their first doubles match together.
Rafa Nadal & Carlos Alcaraz’ reaction after winning their first ever doubles match together at the Olympics.
Arms in the air.
They share a hug.
This team is something special.
Nadalcaraz all day long. 🥹
🇪🇸❤️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 27, 2024
The first set was tight the entire way through. After Argentina jumped up 1-0 early, Nadal and Alcaraz rallied immediately and bounced back and forth with Gonzalez and Molteni until they forced a tiebreak — which they quickly pulled ahead to grab the early advantage in the best-of-three series.
Though that seemed to light a fire under Gonzalez and Molteni, as they rallied to win the first three games in the second set, Nadal and Alcaraz rallied perfectly. They quickly closed out the match by winning six of the next seven games to advance into the second round.
Nadal and Alcaraz will now take on either the Netherlands pair of Wesley Koolhof and Tallon Griekspoor or the Hungarian duo of Fábián Marozsán and Márton Fucsovics. They are scheduled to compete in their opening round match on Sunday.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
Source Agencies
