Madrid Open 2018: Rafael Nadal Falls to Dominic Thiem in Quarter-Finals

Rafael Nadal's 21-match winning run on clay came to an end when he lost in straight-sets to Dominic Thiem in the 2018 Madrid Open quarter-finals on Friday.

Top seed Nadal going out in the last eight means Roger Federer will become World No. 1 again in the ATP rankings, per Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times.

Thiem will be joined by Kevin Anderson, Denis Shapovalov and Alexander Zverev in the last four after they enjoyed wins over Dusan Lajovic, Kyle Edmund and John Isner, respectively.

In the women's bracket, Kiki Bertens reached the final after seeing off seventh seed Caroline Garcia, before Petra Kvitova beat Karolina Pliskova.

Here are the results from Friday's matches:

Men's Singles

• (6) Kevin Anderson bt. Dusan Lajovic: 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3
• (5) Dominic Thiem bt. (1) Rafael Nadal: 7-5, 6-3
• (2) Alexander Zverev bt. (7) John Isner: 6-4, 7-5
• Denis Shapovalov bt. Kyle Edmunds: 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-4

Women's Singles

• Kiki Bertens bt. (7) Caroline Garcia: 6-2, 6-2
• (10) Petra Kvitova bt. (6) Karolina Pliskova: 7-6(4), 6-3

Here is Saturday's schedule, per the ATP official website:

Men's Semi-Finals:

• (5) Dominic Thiem vs. (6) Kevin Anderson
• Denis Shapovalov vs. (2) Alexander Zverev

Women's Final

• (10) Petra Kvitova vs. Kiki Bertens

Nadal found himself stunned after a relentless attack on his serve. Thiem converted five break points, according to the ATP World Tour official website.

The Swiss star had already unnerved Nadal by breaking the Spaniard's lengthy run of dominance on clay.

Sky Sports Tennis detailed how long Nadal had gone without dropping a set on the surface:

Thiem snapping the sequence shouldn't have come as a surprise, though, per ATP Media Info:

Nadal looked rattled when play resumed in the second, falling behind 2-1 after a series of rallies in the third game. Thiem did what he needed to close out the set and the match, staying strong on his serve by allowing Nadal to break just twice.

The result is undoubtedly a shock, but David Law of BBC Radio 5 live doesn't think it will hinder Nadal's chances to win another French Open:

Anderson is also in the semi-finals after surviving a tough, three-set tilt against Lajovic. The South African relied on familiar serving power as he boomed 15 aces.

Lajovic refused to buckle, though, and pushed the match to a third set after losing a tiebreaker in the first. However, Anderson was imperious in the third, holding serve in key moments to build on a commanding early lead and make it through.

Afterwards, the 31-year-old celebrated a career-first achievement:

Edmund was undone by costly breaks of serve as Shapovalov eventually edged the opening set. The Canadian couldn't repeat the trick in the second as Edmund pushed things to a tiebreak he won.

Mike Dickson of the Daily Mail applauded Edmund for keeping his concentration and holding his nerve:

Things were different in the third as Shapovalov was in inspired form. The Canadian saved a pair of break points to see himself through to the last four.

Despite the defeat, Edmund has done enough to improve his standing in the game, per Stuart Fraser of The Times:

Zverev is in the last four after easing past Isner. The rematch of this year's Miami Open final was controlled by Zverev throughout, with the German sauntering through the opening set.

It was tougher for Zverev in the second, with Isner's formidable service game causing problems. Eventually, 21-year-old Zverev eventually earned a key break before securing passage to the semi-finals.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

There was similar good news for Bertens in the women's bracket after she overwhelmed the more highly touted Garcia. It took just over an hour for 26-year-old Bertens to unravel Garcia's game.

Bertens made four break points to leave Garcia struggling for answers. Putting out Garcia and Carolina Wozniacki has proved Bertens' credentials to take home her first Premier Mandatory title.

Later, Kvitova beat Pliskova in straight sets, but only after edging a tiebreak in the first. Kvitova produced some excellent shots, including this one early in the second set, relayed by the WTA official Twitter account:

She produced an even better shot later during the set:

Now Kvitova is likely to be the favourite against Bertens in the final. The men's bracket will be tougher to call, with Thiem, Zverev and Anderson all showing the form of winners.