Madrid Open 2017: Friday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Schedule
Novak Djokovic is through to the semi-finals of the 2017 Madrid Open after Kei Nishikori pulled out of their quarter-final showdown on Friday.
The duo were set to meet in the most eye-catching of the four quarter-final tussles, but just minutes before the match was due to start, the Japanese withdrew with a reoccurrence of the wrist injury that kept him out of the Barcelona Open last month, per BBC Sport.
Djokovic will face Rafael Nadal in the last four after the latter moved into the next round following a 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over David Goffin.
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Later in the day in the men's draw, Dominic Thiem will take on Borna Coric, where the victor will advance to set up a semi-final meeting against Pablo Cuevas following his 3-6, 60, 6-4 comeback win over Alexander Zverev.
Dominic Thiem booked his place opposite Cuevas in the men's semi-finals after a resolute 6-1, 6-4 victory against quarter-final foe Borna Coric, who ousted Andy Murray from the tournament in the third round.
In the women's draw, third seed Simona Halep defeated Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-3 and will take on Kristina Mladenovic in Saturday's final after the latter beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 7-6(4).
Here are the matches for the day and a look at what's gone on so far in the Spanish capital on Friday.
| (1) Novak Djokovic bt. (6) Novak Djokovic | W/O |
| (4) Rafael Nadal bt. (9) David Goffin | 7-6(3), 6-2 |
| Pablo Cuevas bt. Alexander Zverev | 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 |
| (8) Dominic Thiem vs. Borna Coric | 6-1, 6-4 |
| (3) Simona Halep bt. Anastasija Sevastova | 6-2, 6-3 |
| (8) Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. (14) Kristina Mladenovic | 6-4, 7-6(4) |
Friday Recap
Nishikori missed the Barcelona Open last month with a wrist problem, and following this withdrawal, he surely faces a major race against time to be at full strength for the French Open.
Aside from putting his participation in the Grand Slam event in doubt, the quarter-final exit will have an impact on the Japanese's ranking, too, as noted by Jose Morgado of Record:
"I think [the wrist is] still not one hundred per cent," said Nishikori afterwards, per the ATP website. "I don't want to risk it too much today. I want to fight again in every match. It's been taking a long time since Miami. So I don't want to go too hard on my wrist."
No match on Friday means extra rest for Djokovic before his semi-final outing. It will be needed, too, as he prepares to take on home favourite Nadal, who will be motivated to break a three-year-long duck drought against the Serbian, per The Times' Stuart Fraser:
Goffin put up a fierce fight against the Spaniard in their opening set and held his own by saving six break points en route to a tie-break decider, which Nadal edged 7-3 after turning the heat up when it was needed.
His Belgian opponent eventually wilted under pressure and conceded breaks on two of his four serves in the second, although tennis writer Rene Denfeld testified to the quality of the match overall:
Zverev almost came within one set of extending an extremely promising run in Madrid but fell victim to a Cuevas comeback in Madrid.
After losing the opening set, Cuevas responded with a donut in the second before going on to seal the victory after three sets, and the ATP World Tour showcased the kind of skill that saw the Uruguayan through to the semis:
Coric might have developed momentum in Madrid following his win against Murray on Thursday, but his run in Spain's capital ended shortly after he was soundly bested by Thiem in Friday's quarter-final.
The world-ranked No. 59 conceded break twice in the first set to lay the foundation for Thiem's win as Jose Morgado of Portuguese newspaper Record heralded a career first for the Austrian:
Elsewhere, Halep trotted into the final of the women's singles with a rudimentary win over Sevastova, beating her Latvian foe 6-2, 6-3 to move within one win of retaining her crown in Spain's capital.
Such a feat would be worthy of Halep's plaudits, too, considering Serena Williams is the only women's player to win back-to-back Madrid Open titles following her wins in 2012 and 2013.
Mladenovic looks likely to be a worthy foe for the Romanian, however, after she ousted Kuznetsova from the running with a straight-sets victory on Friday, capping her triumph with a confident 7-4 tiebreak win.
Both players conceded their opening serve in the first set of the fixture, but it was Mladenovic who appeared to pick her moments more carefully en route to beating the world No. 9 ahead of a testing encounter with Halep.
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