The big three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray ripped into the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters in impressive style.
Federer avenged a loss on clay a year ago to countryman Stan Wawrinka, producing a nearly effortless 6-3, 6-1 win to put his clay tennis squarely back on track with his Madrid and Paris title defences looming.
“To beat Stan on his best surface is excellent. I’m feeling great about my play now,” the top-seed said.
“I haven’t had that many matches in the last few weeks. But I won the French Open, and no matter how tough the clay season is, I can walk around with a smile on my face.”
Nadal advances
Nadal held US player John Isner to just 11 aces as Spain’s king of clay scored a 7-5, 6-4 win.
Nadal, champion at his previous two Masters 1000 events this spring on the dirt of Monte Carlo and Rome, will next play French 12th-seed Gael Monfils, who beat Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.
“It was a dangerous, difficult match,” Nadal said. “It’s one match I’m very happy to win. I played well and took my chances. It was a very important win for me.”
Nadal needed just one break per set to impose his huge clay game on Isner, booking into a sixth straight quarterfinal in the capital at the event he won in 2005.
Nadal was denied the chance at a possible high-voltage semifinal as sixth-seeded compatriot Fernando Verdasco was dispatched by Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-3 after committing 41 unforced errors and losing his serve six times.
Murray marches on
Andy Murray lifted with a solid win against Victor Hanescu 6-2, 6-1 to next face Spain’s David Ferrer, who put out Croatian Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-2.
Nicolas Almagro earned another home win over Juan Monaco of Argentina, 6-4, 6-1.
On the women’s side, seventh-seed Jelena Jankovic trounced Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-0.
Stosur shines
Australian Samantha Stosur continued her domination of the clay campaign, with the eighth-seed winning her 14th match out of 15 on the surface to reach the last-eight stage.
Stosur defeated Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in just over an hour.
The 26-year-old Aussie will next face Venus Williams on Friday. The US player has won all three of their matches.
“What can I say? It’s Venus,” said Stosur, a 2009 French Open semifinalist.
“You have to expect a good match. Clay is not her favourite surface, so I have to give it my best shot. I’m happy with the way I’m playing, so whatever happens, happens.”
China’s 13th-seed Li Na advanced in her third round encounter with Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine 6-3, 6-4, in 90 minutes. Bondarenko faced 18 break points off the Chinese racket, saving 13.
Israeli Shahar Peer beat Arantxa Parra Santonja 7-5, 6-2, while Arvane Rezai of France barely closed out a win over Andrea Petkovic, with the German saving six match points and wasting four set points of her own in the 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) loss.
