Novak Djokovic finally got his hands on an Olympic gold medal as he came through two tie-breaks to beat Carlos Alcaraz at Roland-Garros.
In a match that lasted almost three hours, the 24-time grand slam champion edged a thrilling contest 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) in the French capital.
In a repeat of their Wimbledon showdown last month, the pair traded blows in the opening games as they tried to gain the early advantage.
Alcaraz would be the first to blink, handing Djokovic three chances to break in the third game, but the Serb was unable to grasp that opportunity.
The 21-year-old would then miss three chances to take the lead himself in the following game as the gripping contest continued to ebb and flow on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In the ninth game, Djokovic saved five break points, to gain the momentum heading into the first-set tie-break where he would emerge the victor.
The second set told a similar story to the first, with Alcaraz squandering a break of serve in the third game, with both holding their serves.
And as he did in the first, Djokovic showcased all of his experience, claiming the triumph with a powerful forehand.
Djokovic finally achieves the full set
Having claimed bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Djokovic now has that gold medal that has proved elusive over the past 16 years.
The Serb showed in the first set his powers of recovery to save all eight of the break points he faced, finally getting one over his recent kryptonite on the court.
At 37 years and 74 days, Djokovic is the oldest player to secure a gold medal in either the men's or women's singles at the Olympics.
Djokovic's victory also saw him become the fourth player to defeat multiple grand slam champions on route to winning the gold medal in the men's singles at the Olympics, after Nicolas Massu (2004), Rafael Nadal (2008) and Andy Murray (2012).
He is now only the second player in the Open Era to have won all four grand slams, the gold medal at the Olympics and the ATP Tour Finals, along with Andre Agassi.
Alcaraz down, but certainly not out
For Alcaraz, it was yet another impressive showing, but even he was unable to stand in the way of Djokovic claiming the prize he craved the most.
Having levelled the second-set tie-break at 3-3, the Spaniard looked the favourite to go on and take it to a decider, but you can never count out a man who has 24 grand slam titles to his name.
Alcaraz missed the opportunity to become only the second player to defeat Djokovic in ATP-level event finals on grass and clay courts, with many hoping to see another battle between two of tennis' brightest stars in the future.
Despite the defeat, he is still the only player to claim multiple ATP top-five wins on each of clay, grass and hard court in consecutive years. John McEnroe (1984) is the only other player to achieve the feat in a single season.
Durant focused on Olympic gold, not individual records
Kevin Durant is not interested in individual records and his only aim is to win a fourth consecutive gold medal with the United States at the Paris Olympics.
The 35-year-old became the USA's all-time leading scorer at the Olympics during their 122-87 victory over Brazil, surpassing Lisa Leslie's tally of 488.
Despite such an achievement, Durant played down its enormity, stating that another player will likely surpass it in the future and another gold medal is what he is truly focused on.
"Records are meant to be broken, so somebody will come along and do the same to me," Durant said.
"My focus is on trying to win this gold."
LeBron James was full of praise for Durant, and the NBA's record points-scorer believes there is more still to come.
"He's incredible. He was born to play ball and he's simply incredible," James said.
"I'm happy for him. Congratulations to him. I'm super proud of him. And he's got more to go."
James had to go off to receive treatment during the third quarter after he took an elbow to the face from Georginho De Paula but he eased any concerns after the match, stating that he was fine and will be ready for the semi-final.
He said: "I'm all right. Got hit with an inadvertent elbow around the eye."
Meanwhile, despite Team USA being on the cusp of a fourth straight gold, Jayson Tatum, a champion in Tokyo, warned that the one-off nature of the knockout competition meant there was no room for complacency or easing up.
Tatum said: "Everybody expects us to win. But you don't take things for granted, right? Canada lost earlier. It's a different game. It's not like the playoffs, where it's a series.
"We've got one game and a lot of (stuff) can happen in one game, especially over here."
Team USA will face Nikola Jokic's Serbia in the semi-finals, a side they have already beaten in the group stages.
Osaka "stalking" Swiatek to improve her own game
Naomi Osaka quipped she has been "stalking" Iga Swiatek after her first-round defeat at the Olympics.
Four-time grand slam champion Osaka, now ranked at world number 95, lost in straight sets to Germany's Angelique Kerber on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris.
Former world number one Osaka returned to tennis earlier this year after giving birth in July 2023.
Now she hopes she can climb back up the rankings by watching others on the tour, and world number one Swiatek has been high on her list.
"I was stalking Iga. I was watching her practice at the Olympics, and for me, that's something I want to do more, watch the great players, because there's always something I can pick up on," Osaka told reporters ahead of the Canadian Open.
"I know she has one of the best footwork skills on the WTA. I'm just trying to copy a little bit."
The Japanese player found her Olympics experience more enjoyable than three years ago at her home Games, where she lit the Olympic flame.
"I would say in Tokyo [2020], I was definitely really stressed. In Paris, I felt a lot more fun. And obviously there were spectators there, so it was a lot different," reflected the 26-year-old.
"In Paris, I felt a lot more fun. And obviously there were spectators there, so it was a lot different. But I didn't stay in the village, so that is something that I regret a little bit, not to have the full experience. Overall, I think it was it was fun. Hopefully, I can play in LA [in 2028]."
Osaka has naturally faced challenges in her return to sport following pregnancy, which has made her presence at the Olympics a year on from giving birth impressive in itself.
"Honestly, after pregnancy, I wasn't really sure how my movement would be," said Osaka.
"I remember being on the track at UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles] and almost crying in frustration because I felt like I couldn't run as fast as I wanted to.
"It felt like I was in a body suit that was not performing the way I wanted. Now, to be here, is a really incredible achievement."
Having a daughter has also given Osaka a new outlook on her sport.
"I lost in the Olympics, I was, of course, really devastated," she explained. "But I was just surrounded by my team.
"Then I went back home, and I saw my daughter, and she's just happy to be alive. She's happy that I'm her mom and it just gave me a lot of motivation.
"I feel like when I was younger I was searching for my purpose in life. The way I grew up, my only purpose was tennis. Then obviously taking the year that I had as a break, it let me see that there are so many different things in life and it's a beautiful world."
'We have so much potential', says USWNT semi-final hero Smith
Sophia Smith believes the United States have "so much potential" after her extra-time winner sent them through to their first Olympics final since 2012.
The 23-year-old's 95th-minute strike proved the decisive goal of the USWNT’s 1-0 semi-final victory against an injury-stricken Germany.
The result means new coach Emma Hayes will have the chance to go for gold in her first major tournament at the helm.
Smith dedicated her goal to the effort of the whole US squad under the ex-Chelsea boss.
"I just saw an open net in front of me and knew I had to step up in the big moment," Smith told NBC. "I felt I had to do that for this team, we've been working so hard.”
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