World No 2 is on course for fifth French title as he seals a semi-final spot after a hard-fought straight sets win over fellow Spaniard.
Rafael Nadal shook off dogged resistance from Nicolas Almagro last night to stay on course for a fifth French Open title.
Although he maintained his record of not having dropped a set at this year's tournament, the world No 2 was made to fight all the way by his fellow Spaniard before sealing a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory in two hours and 35 minutes.
Almagro atoned for his humiliation by Nadal at the same stage at Roland Garros two years ago with a courageous show of defiance.
But he was unable to compete in the tie-breaks against an opponent who is now the overwhelming favourite for the title following the defending champion Roger Federer's demise on Tuesday. Although the Spaniard was keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground after the match.
"No one's favourite, four players are playing well and we'll see what happens," Nadal said in a television interview after the match.
"I'm sorry for Roger [Federer] because he did amazing last year and he deserved the title more than anyone."
Nadal, who turns 24 today, had won all six of his previous meetings with Almagro, including a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 thrashing at the same stage of the 2008 French Open - the most one-sided men's quarter-final in the tournament's Open-era history.
But Almagro, who was bidding to reach his first grand slam semi-final, had taken a set from his compatriot in their past two meetings.
And he made a lightning start, winning eight of the first nine points to move 2-0 ahead.
He was forced to save two break-back points in the next, winning it to secure as many games as he had in the whole of their last Roland Garros clash.
But typical chasing down from Nadal helped him break back in game five and, although Almagro continued to trouble him with his aggressive play, a tie-break followed, which the former completely dominated. Undeterred, Almagro continued to go toe-to-toe with his illustrious opponent in a punishing second set, which saw no break points until Nadal serve-volleyed his way out of trouble in game nine.
It proved the only break chance of the set and Nadal made Almagro pay for not taking it by stepping up the pace in the tie-break once more to take a two-set lead.
The second seed had break point in the opening game of the third but Almagro refused to yield.
Once again, neither player looked like dropping serve until the latter made a succession of mistakes in game nine and was broken to love.
Almagro saved one match point with a brilliant winner in the next but Nadal was not to be denied, setting up a semi-final match against Jurgen Melzer, the Austrian, who edged a five-set encounter against Novak Djokovic 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 on the Suzanne Lenglen Court yesterday.
The Serbian Djokovic, ranked No 3 in the world, raced into a two-set lead with just over an hour played before Melzer rallied to take the third.
The fourth set proved to be a tight affair until Melzer levelled the match after winning the tie-break.
Both men showed nerves during an error-strewn fifth and final set before Melzer got the decisive break and then saved two break points of his own and converted his third match point to book his spot in the last four at Roland Garros - the 29-year-old's first semi-final grand slam appearance.
* Compiled by Steve Luckings, with agencies
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
John%20Wick%3A%20Chapter%204
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SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
