Murray eases past Berdych to reach Madrid semis
Defending champion and world No 2 Andy Murray crusied past eighth seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter final of the Madrid masters today. Murray’s dominance could be gauged from the fact that he didn’t face a single break point in the match. Murray will now face the winner of Rafael Nadal and Joao Sousa.
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Speaking of his potential clash against Nadal, Murray said that the Spaniard is playing better. Nadal has got the better of Murray twice in recent times with semifinal wins in in Barcelona and Monte Carlo.
“You have to learn from every match that you play against the best players. When you get to the semis or finals you want to go onto the court with a very clear game plan and understanding of the things that work against them,” Murray said.
He also said that a lot depends on the conditions. “It is pretty different to Monte Carlo, it is supposed to rain here the next few days and playing indoors changes things.”
Earlier, world number one Novak Djokovic too continued his dominant form as he crushed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-1 to reach the Madrid Masters quarter-finals.
Djokovic, who is playing in Madrid for the first time in three years, is seeking his fifth title of the season.
World number six Kei Nishikori too reached the last eight following his 6-4, 7-5 win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Nishikori faces Nick Kyrgios on Friday who got the better of Pablo Cuevas 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3.
In the women's section, Dominika Cibulkova beat Louisa Chirico 6-1, 6-1 to reach the final. She will now face the winner of Simona Halep and Stam Stosur in the other semi-final.
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