PARIS — Novak Djokovic ended Rafael Nadal's 39-match French Open winning streak by beating the nine-time champion in a surprisingly lopsided quarterfinal 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday.
It is only the second defeat for Nadal in 72 career matches at Roland Garros — and second in 95 best-of-five-set matches anywhere on red clay.
The other came in the fourth round in 2009 against Robin Soderling. Before that, Nadal had won four championships in a row at the French Open. And since? Nadal had collected a record five consecutive French Open trophies.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic lost all six previous matches he'd played against Nadal in Paris, including the 2012 and 2014 finals.