Madrid Open 2017: Friday tennis scores, results, updated schedule | Launderer’s report

Novak Djokovic is through to the semi-finals of the 2017 Madrid Open after Kei Nishikori withdrew from their quarter-final on Friday.

The duo were expected to meet in the most eye-catching of four quarter-final bouts, but just minutes before the match started, the Japanese pulled out with a recurrence of the wrist injury that kept him sidelined. from the last Barcelona Open. month, by BBC Sports.

Djokovic will face Rafael Nadal in the last four after the latter advanced to the next round following a 7-6(3), 6-2 win over David Goffin.

Later today in the men’s draw, Dominic Thiem takes on Borna Coric, where the winner will advance to set up a semi-final encounter against Pablo Cuevas following his 3-6, 60, 6-4 win over Alexander Zverev.

Dominic Thiem booked his place against Cuevas in the men’s semi-final after a resolute 6-1, 6-4 win over quarter-final foes Borna Coric, who ousted Andy Murray from the tournament in the third round.

In the women’s draw, third seed Simona Halep beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-3 and will face Kristina Mladenovic in Saturday’s final after the latter beat. Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 7-6(4).

Here are today’s matches and an overview of what has happened so far in the Spanish capital on Friday.

Friday recap

Nishikori missed the Barcelona Open last month due to a wrist problem, and following this withdrawal he will surely face a major race against time to be fully qualified for Roland Garros.

Apart from casting doubt on his participation in the Grand Slam event, the quarter-final exit will also impact the Japanese’s rankings, as noted by Jose Morgado of Registration:

“I think [the wrist is] still not one hundred percent,” Nishikori said afterwards, according to the ATP website. “I don’t want to risk too much today. I want to fight again every game. It’s been a long time since Miami. So I don’t want to put too much strain on my wrist.”

No game on Friday means extra rest for Djokovic ahead of his semi-final exit. It will also be necessary, as he prepares to face home favorite Nadal, who will be motivated to break a three-year duck drought against the Serb, by The temperature‘Stuart Fraser:

Goffin put up a tough fight against the Spaniard in their opening set and held on saving six break points en route to a tie-break, which Nadal beat 7-3 after turning up the heat when necessary.

His Belgian opponent eventually withered under the pressure and conceded breaks on two of his four serves in the second, although tennis writer René Denfeld testified to the quality of the match as a whole:

Zverev came close to extending a hugely promising streak at Madrid but fell victim to Cuevas returning to Madrid.

After losing the first set, Cuevas responded with a donut in the second before sealing victory after three sets, and the ATP World Tour showed the kind of skill that saw the The Uruguayan in the semi-finals:

Coric may have gained some momentum in Madrid following their win over Murray on Thursday, but his run in the Spanish capital ended shortly after being soundly beaten by Thiem in Friday’s quarter-final.

The world number 59 conceded the break twice in the opening set to lay the groundwork for Thiem’s ​​win as Portuguese newspaper’s Jose Morgado Registration announced a career first for the Austrian:

Elsewhere, Halep reached the women’s singles final with a rudimentary win over Sevastova, defeating her Latvian enemy 6-2, 6-3 to move within a win of retaining their crown in the Spanish capital.

Such a feat would also deserve applause from Halep, considering Serena Williams is the only female player to win back-to-back Madrid Open titles after winning in 2012 and 2013.

Mladenovic appears to be a strong opponent for the Romanian, however, after knocking Kuznetsova out of contention with a straight-sets win on Friday, capping her triumph with a confident 7-4 tiebreak win.

Both players conceded their opening serve in the first set of the match, but it was Mladenovic who seemed to pick her moments more carefully en route to beating the world No.9 ahead of a test encounter with Halep.