PARIS — For the first time in his career, Rafael Nadal will make a fifth straight appearance in the French Open quarterfinals. Nadal won a record 32nd straight match at Roland Garros Monday, beating Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 to improve on his own record by one. Nadal is an eight-time French Open champion with a 63-1 record on the red clay in Paris. His only loss came in the fourth round in 2009, when he was a four-time defending champion for the first time. Another upset never seemed possible this time, despite complaints of pain in his back that slowed his serves in the previous round. “I don't want to talk too much about this thing today,” Nadal said of his injury. “I have important match to come. Today I won a match in good shape. We'll see what's going on in the future.” Playing on Court Philippe Chatrier, Nadal's favorite court in the world, the top-seeded Spaniard controlled the match from the start. He then won 17 straight points to open the second set, taking a 4-0 lead before finally sending a backhand wide to make it 15-15 in the fifth game. Later in that set, Lajovic held three break points at 0-40, but Nadal saved them all and held. It wasn't until late in the third, with the match far out of reach, that Lajovic did manage a break — the only game he won in the final set. Nadal has won 13 major titles, and is the only man to win eight at one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. With another championship at Roland Garros this year, he would become the first man to win five straight French Open titles. And he's looking rather unbeatable. The Spaniard, who turns 28 Tuesday, has lost only 23 games through four rounds, only four more than he lost in reaching the quarterfinals in 2012. Nadal will next face fifth-seeded David Ferrer, the man he beat in last year's French Open final. Ferrer defeated 19th-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1. In April, Ferrer beat Nadal on clay in the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo. French 23rd seed Gael Monfils reached his fourth Roland Garros quarterfinal with a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win over unseeded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Monfils will next face British seventh seed Andy Murray, who beat Spain's Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3). Wimbledon champion Murray's best run in Paris was a semifinal spot in 2011. The win took Murray's career record over the 30-year-old Verdasco to 10-1. In the women's tournament, fourth-seeded Simona Halep of Romania beat Sloane Stephens of the United States 6-4, 6-3, and 10th-seeded Sara Errani of Italy defeated sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 7-6 (5), 6-2. Earlier, Andrea Petkovic overcame an inconsistent serve and unseeded Kiki Bertens to reach the quarterfinals with a 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory. Defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan lost in the men's doubles quarterfinals, beaten 6-4, 6-2 by the 12th-seeded duo of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain. The Bryan twins, who were seeded No. 1, have now failed to reach the final at any of the last three Grand Slam tournaments — after winning four major titles in a row before that, starting at the 2012 US Open. — Agencies
