Madrid: big names advance in men’s draw

Defending champion Andy Murray put on another impressive performance on clay on Thursday, defeating Gilles Simon 6-4 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.

Murray, seeded second, broke the French No.16 seed’s serve in the final game of the first set and twice in the second to stay on track for back-to-back titles in the Spanish capital.

It was a rematch of the 2008 final in Madrid – back then the tournament was contested on indoor hard courts in the European fall season – when Murray won his first title at the tournament.

Murray will face Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in the last eight, after the No.8 seed beat Spaniard David Ferrer in two tight sets.

Also advancing were world No.1 Novak Djokovic and the in-form Rafael Nadal.

The top-seeded Djokovic beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2 6-1 for his 30th win of the season – the most on tour – while Nadal extended his claycourt winning streak to 12 with a commanding 6-4 6-2 win over Sam Querrey.

Meanwhile, Australian rising star Nick Kyrgios – who overcame claycourt specialist Pablo Cuevas in three sets – will face world No.6 Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals on Friday after the Japanese star beat Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-5.