Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
MADRID — World No1 Novak Djokovic racked up his 30th win of a dominant season with a 6-2 6-1 destruction of Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the Madrid Masters quarterfinals on Thursday.
Defending champion Andy Murray also sealed his place in the last eight with a 6-4 6-2 win over 16th seed Gilles Simon.
Djokovic is playing in Madrid for the first time in three years, but has not taken long to adjust to the different conditions in the altitude of the Spanish capital, as he has reached the quarterfinals for the loss of just nine games.
The Serb will continue his quest for a fifth title of the season against Milos Raonic or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.
Murray extended his impressive record over Simon to 14-2, but was not pushed as hard as he often has been in the past by the Frenchman as he did not even face a break point in just more than an hour-and-a-half on court.
The two-time Grand Slam champion will face Thomas Berdych in the last eight, after the Czech got the better of David Ferrer 7-6 (10/8) 7-5.
"After the first six or seven games, I really started to hit the ball well. I served well throughout the match. It was a good performance," Murray said.
Murray pounced on a series of Simon errors to seal the only break of the first set in the final game. However, the Scot was far more dominant in the second as his power and variation from the back of the court allowed him to race into a 3-0 lead before breaking again to seal his place in the last eight.
"Normally, against Gilles it’s always a complicated match because of the way he plays," added Murray. "He always makes it very difficult. There are a lot of long rallies, but because of the conditions, it was a bit faster, I was able to get a lot more free points on my serve."
World No6 Kei Nishikori continued his fine form on clay in Spain to reach the last eight with a 6-4 7-5 win over 10th seed Richard Gasquet.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Djokovic and Murray cruise in Madrid
MADRID — World No1 Novak Djokovic racked up his 30th win of a dominant season with a 6-2 6-1 destruction of Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the Madrid Masters quarterfinals on Thursday.
Defending champion Andy Murray also sealed his place in the last eight with a 6-4 6-2 win over 16th seed Gilles Simon.
Djokovic is playing in Madrid for the first time in three years, but has not taken long to adjust to the different conditions in the altitude of the Spanish capital, as he has reached the quarterfinals for the loss of just nine games.
The Serb will continue his quest for a fifth title of the season against Milos Raonic or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.
Murray extended his impressive record over Simon to 14-2, but was not pushed as hard as he often has been in the past by the Frenchman as he did not even face a break point in just more than an hour-and-a-half on court.
The two-time Grand Slam champion will face Thomas Berdych in the last eight, after the Czech got the better of David Ferrer 7-6 (10/8) 7-5.
"After the first six or seven games, I really started to hit the ball well. I served well throughout the match. It was a good performance," Murray said.
Murray pounced on a series of Simon errors to seal the only break of the first set in the final game. However, the Scot was far more dominant in the second as his power and variation from the back of the court allowed him to race into a 3-0 lead before breaking again to seal his place in the last eight.
"Normally, against Gilles it’s always a complicated match because of the way he plays," added Murray. "He always makes it very difficult. There are a lot of long rallies, but because of the conditions, it was a bit faster, I was able to get a lot more free points on my serve."
World No6 Kei Nishikori continued his fine form on clay in Spain to reach the last eight with a 6-4 7-5 win over 10th seed Richard Gasquet.
AFP
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.