Rogers Cup 2016: Friday Scores, Results and Updated Toronto Masters Schedule

Quarterfinal action took center stage in both draws Friday at the 2016 Rogers Cup. The men's matches included each of the tournament's top five seeds, including top-ranked Novak Djokovic, while the women's side featured Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.

One thing is for sure: This weekend will crown new champions. That's because both titleholders from 2015, Andy Murray and Belinda Bencic, opted against competing in the event this season.

So let's check out which players kept their hopes of raising the trophy alive based on Friday's results, which will get updated through the conclusion of play. That's followed by a recap of the action.

Friday Schedule and Results

Order	Matchup/Result	Score/Time (ET)
-	Men's Tournament	-
1	(2) Stan Wawrinka d. Kevin Anderson	6-1, 6-3
2	(3) Kei Nishikori d. Grigor Dimitrov	6-3, 3-6, 6-2
3	(1) Novak Djokovic d. (5) Tomas Berdych	7-6, 6-4
4	(10) Gael Monfils def. (4) Milos Raonic	6-4, 6-4
-	Women's Tournament	-
1	(5) Simona Halep d. (9) Svetlana Kuznetsova	3-6, 6-1, 6-1
2	(2) Angelique Kerber d. Daria Kasatkina	6-2, 6-2
3	(10) Madison Keys d. (16) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova	7-6, 1-6, 6-0
4	Kristina Kucova def. (15) Johanna Konta	6-4, 6-3

Men's Recap

Stan Wawrinka made quick work of Kevin Anderson by neutralizing the South African's biggest weapon: the serve. Anderson won just 51 percent of his service points and finished the match with just six aces to go along with five double-faults.

Meanwhile, Wawrinka won 82 percent of the points on his first serve and didn't get broken during the match. He's struggled since reaching the French Open semifinals, but his play so far this week suggests he's getting closer to top form again.

Rogers Cup Toronto highlighted his celebration as he moved into the semis:

Grigor Dimitrov once again showed flashes of the player who had reached as high as No. 8 in the rankings. He couldn't maintain that level of play to knock off Kei Nishikori, however, as the third seed put together a strong third set to advance.

Dimitrov went through a stretch earlier in the season where he lost in the first round of five straight tournaments. Things have improved since then—he even beat Gilles Simon at Wimbledon—but he still has a lot of work to do.

Jake Davies of Last Word On Sports commented on the more reliable Nishikori:

"

Nishikori held it together longer than Dimitrov could...to no-one's surprise. Nishikori wins 6-3 3-6 6-2 to reach the Canada Masters semi's.

— Jake Davies (@jakedavi5) July 29, 2016"

Looking ahead to the semifinals, Nishikori will likely be in for another extended battle if he wants to take out Wawrinka. The Swiss sensation has won three of their four career matchups, but this will be their first meeting in 2016.

Djokovic, who battled through some rare mediocre play in the first set to still beat Tomas Berdych in straight sets, was far from giving his usual clinical performance. The win is the latest example of his advantage over most of the men's field as he beat a top-10 foe without his best game.

On the flip side, the match also showed why Berdych has only reached one major final despite spending so much time in and around the top 10. He doesn't have the next gear he needs to take down opponents like Djokovic consistently. Erik Gudris of Tennis Now discussed that after the first set:

Djokovic moves to 25-2 in his career against the Czech veteran. He'll need to elevate his game over the final two rounds to claim the title, though.

The final match of the night saw this year's Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic bounced out in straight sets by Gael Monfils. 

As two players with huge serves, it all came down to returning ability, and it was Monfils who just managed to squeeze out a victory. 

His reward for such a big win is taking on the No. 1 player in the world in Djokovic.

Women's Recap

If there was a match to encapsulate Simona Halep's entire career, Friday's victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova could be it. Halep dropped a sloppy first set before raising her game and looking like one of the world's top players to cruise into the penultimate round.

Halep is one of the most talented players on the WTA Tour, but her inconsistency is why she's only reached a single major final. That said, the way she controlled points during the latter stage of the win over Kuznetsova was impressive.

The WTA spotlighted the final moments of her victory, which came on the third match point:

Things were far more routine for Kerber, who easily dispatched Daria Kasatkina. It marked the seventh time in 15 events so far this season that she's at least reached the semifinals. That includes a championship in Stuttgart to go along with her Australian Open title.

Her play on the return put her over the top. She won an eye-popping 68 percent of points on Kasatkina's serve compared to just 56 percent on her own. It allowed her to win seven out of the eight games when returning.

Afterward, the German veteran praised her opponent and talked about the state of her own game, according to the WTA.

"She played a great tournament, and she's really dangerous," Kerber said. "I think I played really well today, and it's really nice to be in the semis for the first time in Montreal. I was trying to focus on my game because it was the first time I met her, and it worked."

It sets up an intriguing semifinal clash between Halep and Kerber. The Romanian star holds a slight 3-2 advantage in their previous meetings, but Kerber has won the last two.

Madison Keys and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had a bizarre encounter. After an extremely competitive first set won by Keys, the 16th seed dominated the second set and then watched as the American flipped the script with a one-sided showing of her own in the deciding set.

Keys has put enough talent on display over the past couple of years to believe big things are ahead. Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times noted the more consistent results lend even more hope that she can translate her potential into marquee victories:

If she can play the next two rounds like she did today's third set, she'll have a great chance to capture her third career WTA title.

The final quarterfinal of the day saw Kristina Kucova's career run continue as she clinched her first-ever semifinal berth at a WTA Premier event with a straight-set win over the favored Johanna Konta. 

Her run will continue to raise her standing in the world rankings as she entered Montreal at No. 121.

All match statistics courtesy of the tournament's official site.