French Open: Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic in late-night thriller

In the men's singles quarter-finals at the French Open, Nadal defeated long-time rival Novak Djokovic in a late-night match.

Nadal started superbly and fought off resistance from the defending champion to win the title.

After four hours on the court, Nadal won.

The 21-time Grand Slam winner faces the third seed on Friday.

Germany's Zverev, 25, reached the semi-finals for the second successive year after surviving teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz's fightback earlier on Tuesday.

The only way to win against Novak is to play your best from the first point to the last, according to Nadal.

This is one of those nights that I enjoy.

The victory for Nadal avenged his semi-final defeat by the Serbian player last year and gave him his 112th win on the clay.

More to come.