The slippery blue clay may be gone, but the Madrid Open continues to produce surprises.
Second-ranked Roger Federer was ousted by Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in Thursday’s third round, leaving Rafael Nadal as the either the clear front-runner for the title or the next big name who should be wary of an upset.
Nadal didn’t let his sore knee get in the way of downing Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 6-3 to reach a quarterfinal with David Ferrer, while third-seeded Andy Murray had to come from behind to edge past Giles Simon 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6).
“Clearly the favourite for this tournament is Nadal,” Federer said.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova – the top two seeded women – also reached the quarters in straight sets.
Last year, Federer didn’t let the slick “Smurf-coloured” clay stop him from winning his third title in Madrid. But now with the old-fashioned red clay back at the Caja Magica, Federer only managed to look like the star he is for a spell.