Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic victorious at Madrid Open
Federer to face Dominic Thiem in last eight with Novak Djokovic up against Marin Cilic and Rafael Nadal meets Stan Wawrinka
Thursday 9 May 2019 21:07, UK
Roger Federer saved two match points as he maintained his winning return to clay by defeating Gael Monfils to reach the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open on Thursday.
Federer won a high-quality contest on the red dirt against Monfils 6-0 4-6 7-6 (7-3) inside a capacity La Caja Magica.
Federer opened with an 18-minute opening set bagel before the pendulum swung the way of Monfils in the second, with the Frenchman opening up a 3-0 lead.
The three-time winner displayed his powers of recovery by battling back to level at 4-4, although it was Monfils who stayed aggressive and focused to level things up.
Monfils, the world No 18, maintained his effective serve and volley tactics to take a healthy 4-1 advantage over the Swiss in the decider but, just as in the second set, Federer fought back to restore parity.
Federer was forced into saving two match points before a thrilling contest was settled by a tie-break, and it was the 20-time Grand Slam champion who rallied to win a pulsating clash.
Barcelona Open champion Dominic Thiem ousted Monte-Carlo winner Fabio Fognini 6-4 7-5 to set up a meeting with Federer next.
Novak Djokovic dominated the first set against Jeremy Chardy and then won the final four points of the tie-breaker to progress 6-1 7-6 (7-2).
The Serb racked up a 13th consecutive win over Chardy, all in straight sets.
The top-ranked Djokovic will next face Marin Cilic, who came from behind to beat Laslo Djere 4-6 6-3 6-2 while in the final match of the night Rafael Nadal completed the quarter-final line-up with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Frances Tiafoe.
That set up a mouthwatering showdown with an in-form Stan Wawrinka who continues to work his way back to his Grand Slam-winning best after a straight sets win over Kei Nishikori.
We have the tennis season covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.
