BNP Paribas Masters 2015: Friday Tennis Scores, Results and Updated Schedule

Andy Murray finally reached the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Masters Open for the first time on Friday, beating local hero Richard Gasquet in three sets.

The Frenchman gave Murray all he could handle but crumbled late, as Murray booked his ticket to the semi-finals. He was joined by David Ferrer, whose fantastic return game was too much for John Isner, and Novak Djokovic, who needed two tie-breaks to get past Tomas Berdych. Later on Friday, Stan Wawrinka will go up against Rafael Nadal. 

Here's a look at Friday's quarter-final results:

Andy Murray (2)	7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3	Richard Gasquet (10)
David Ferrer (8)	6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2	John Isner (13)
Novak Djokovic (1)	7-6 (3), 7-6 (8)	Tomas Berdych (5)
Stan Wawrinka (4)	7-6 (8), 7-6 (7)	Rafael Nadal (7)

Saturday's schedule: 

Time (GMT)
1 p.m.	David Ferrer (8)	vs.	Andy Murray (2)
4 p.m.	Novak Djokovic (1)	vs.	Stan Wawrinka (4)

Recap

Berdych played one of his best matches of the year and pushed Djokovic to the very limit, but the U.S. Open champion twice held his nerves in a tie-break, advancing to the next round. 

Djokovic has been in spectacular form in 2015, but Berdych gave the Serb all he could handle on Friday, as both found incredible success with their serve. Break chances were rare with both winning over 80 percent of their first-serve points, and each failed to convert a single break chance in the first set.

The two went to a tie-break, where Djokovic showed why he's the World No. 1 with a handful of top returns that won him the set. Tennis writer Carole Bouchard was still impressed with Berdych's efforts, however:

Berdych looked even better in the second set, increasing his first-serve percentage and number of aces. Djokovic suffered a scary fall in the opening exchanges but seemed to be alright, and the two easily controlled their serve games, not giving up a single break chance.

Another tie-break followed, and, again, Djokovic came through, although Berdych defended to the last second. ESPN's Darren Cahill was impressed:

Ferrer booked his spot in the semi-finals with a hard-fought win over Isner, showing again why he's considered to be one of the world's best returners.

Isner's serve has always been his biggest weapon, but during the first set against Ferrer, the American had difficulty finding the right range. Despite putting well over 80 percent of his first serves in play, Isner managed just two aces and barely won over 50 percent of points.

On the other side of the court, Ferrer took full advantage of the relatively slow playing surface, getting Isner moving and beating him from the baseline. Ferrer converted two of three break points and easily held his own serve, cruising to a 1-0 lead in sets.

Per TennisTV, Ferrer seemed to have Isner figured out:

The American started taking more risks with his serve in the second set, and while his first-serve percentage, dropped, the number of aces and first-serve points won rose drastically. But Isner still had no answer for Ferrer's serve, and the Spaniard seemed to come close to forcing the decisive break in just about every other game.

The break finally came in the eighth game of the second set, but Isner struck back immediately, keeping his bid to reach the semi-finals alive. He eventually grabbed the tie-break in a thriller, forcing the third set. Gaspar Lanca of Tenis Portugal shared just how close he came to losing the second set:

Momentum now seemed to be with Isner, but two quick double-faults in the third set handed Ferrer another break, and the Spaniard cruised to the win from there.

Gasquet appeared to be in control when he took the second set and dictated the pace early in the third, but Murray bounced back after some sloppy play on his serve and won the final four games on his way to a semi-final berth.

Murray came into his quarter-final after two easy wins and appeared to be in excellent form, but Gasquet made it clear from the start that Friday's match would go down to the wire.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

The Frenchman pushed Murray to deuce in the first game and more than held his own in the rallies, and while Murray had the advantage serving, Gasquet stood firm on the baseline.

He broke Murray's serve and came close to winning the first set, only for the Scot to produce a superb sliced backhand to force a tie-break. In the decider, Murray came out on top.

Per bet365, Friday's match was shaping up to be quite different from Murray's previous outings:

The Scotsman's serve started to sputter in the second set, allowing Gasquet to step into the court a little more and take some risks in the return game. Gasquet had no such struggles with his serve, and backed by a fiery home crowd, he started to look more and more dominant.

This exchange summed up the second set quite well (via Sky Sports Tennis):

In that set, Murray couldn't force a single break chance, and Gasquet needed just one to level things up and take the Scotsman to a decisive third set.

Entering the third set, Gasquet appeared to be in control, taking an early break to go up 2-1. But facing yet another quarter-final exit in Paris, Murray rediscovered his serve and started putting heaps of pressure on the Frenchman. An immediate break followed, and Murray pushed on, taking the final four games and the win.

After the match, Murray told Sky Sports (h/t ESPN) his back did feel a little sore after such a long match, but it's not a concern moving forward:

"

I was moving well right through to the end. It was giving me a little bit of trouble on my serve, but that can happen, it's a long season. He [Gasquet] puts you in positions on the court that not a lot of guys are able to.

The first two matches [in Paris against Borna Coric and David Goffin] were relatively quick and easy -- I wasn't put under that much stress in those matches.Maybe it's normal after two and a half weeks since Shanghai, and a couple of quick matches, to feel a little stiff and sore.

"

The evening's action concluded with Nadal and Wawrinka in action, and the fourth-seeded French Open winner proved resilient despite being pushed to two tie-breaks by the seventh-seeded Spaniard. 

Wawrinka seized control with a 7-6 first-set victory, and he appeared well on his way to a relatively easy second-set win after going up a break. However, Nadal responded down 5-4 and broke back to thwart his opponent's shot at a 6-4 win. 

And while Wawrinka appeared to fade as Nadal's legs got stronger late in the second set, the No. 7 seed couldn't put his foot down and capitalized on set-point opportunities—including double-set point, up 6-4 in the tiebreak. 

Wawrinka's victory sets him up for a semifinal showdown with the top-seeded Djokovic. The 30-year-old French Open winner dispatched Djokovic in a four-set French Open final stunner, but the Serb has had the edge in their other two meetings this year. 

Not only did Djokovic down Wawrinka in straight sets at the ATP Western & Southern Open in August, but he also opened the year by squashing him in the Australian Open semis. 

The two should put on a show Saturday, though Djokovic should be considered a heavy favorite given his season-long run of superiority.