Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open
Rafael Nadal booked his place in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open after a hard-fought win over David Goffin in a match that lasted over three hours. He will next take on compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who also had to go through three sets to beat Cameron Norrie.
Meanwhile, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic booked his place in the last eight after Andy Murray withdrew from their match due to illness. Reigning champion Alexander Zverev got the better of Lorenzo Musetti, who retired due to injury while trailing 6-3, 1-0.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime also sealed their spots in the last eight with straight-set wins over Grigor Dimitrov and Jannik Sinner respectively.
Here are the major results from Day 5 of the ATP Madrid Open:
Nadal survives Goffin scare in three-hour clash
Rafael Nadal had to toil for his victory over David Goffin at the Madrid Open.
Five-time Madrid Open champion Rafael Nadal beat David Goffin in a thrilling encounter to book his place in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard was broken in the first set and trailed 2-3. However, he won the next four games to take the set 6-3.
Nadal made an early break in the second set and had two match points but Goffin saved them both to eventually win the set 7-5 and force the match into a decider.
In the third set, both players broke each other’s serve and the match went to a tiebreak. Nadal raced to a 4-1 lead but a resilient Goffin won five points on the trot. The Belgian then had two match points but Nadal was able to save them. Both players saved a few more match points before the King of Clay triumphed 11-9.
Murray withdrawal sees Djokovic enter first Masters 1000 quarterfinal of 2022
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were scheduled to play the first match of Day 5 at the Manolo Santana Stadium. It was a highly anticipated clash but unfortunately, the latter was forced to pull out due to illness.
Djokovic thus received a walkover to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, where he will take on 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole got his first straight-set victory at the competition by beating Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-3.
Alcaraz battles past Norrie to reach the last eight
Seventh seed Carlos Alcaraz faced ninth seed Cameron Norrie for the third time and the two played out a brilliant match that lasted two hours and 41 minutes.
The Spaniard sealed the first break of the match to take a 3-1 lead but Norrie broke back while trailing 3-5. Alcaraz then broke him again to take the opening set 6-4.
The second set went to a tiebreak and Norrie won it 7-4 to force the match into a decider. Alcaraz made the first break of the third set in the first game and then saved a few break points before breaking again to win 6-3 and seal his place in the quarterfinals.
Auger-Aliassime makes easy work of Sinner
Eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime seems to be rediscovering his form after a few lackluster performances over the past few months. The Canadian faced Jannik Sinner for the first time in his career and beat him 6-1, 6-2 in the last 16 of the Madrid Open.
It was a sublime display from Auger-Aliassime, who served five aces and won 26 out of 29 points on his first serve. This will be the 21-year-old’s first quarterfinal appearance in a Masters 1000 tournament on clay.
ATP Madrid Open Day 5 results at a glance
Men’s Singles (third round):
(1) Novak Djokovic def. (WC) Andy Murray (walkover).
(6) Andrey Rublev def. Dan Evans 7-6 (7), 7-5.
(12) Hubert Hurkacz def. (Q) Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-3.
(3) Rafael Nadal def. (Q) David Goffin 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (9).
(2) Alexander Zverev def. (Q) Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 1-0 (ret’d).
(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-4.
(8) Felix Auger-Aliassime def. (10) Jannik Sinner 6-1, 6-2.
(7) Carlos Alcaraz def. (9) Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3.
Men’s Doubles (second round):
(2) Marcel Granollers / Horacio Zeballos def. (WC) Pablo Carreno Busta / Pedro Martinez 7-6 (8), 2-6, 10-5.
Simone Bolelli / Ivan Dodig def. (3) Nikola Mektic / Mate Pavic 7-5, 3-6, 10-6.
Andreas Mies / Kevin Krawietz def. (1) Rajeev Ram / Joe Salisbury 6-4, 6-4.
(5) Robert Farah / Juan Sebastian Cabal def. Felix Auger-Aliassime / Grigor Dimitrov (walkover).
