MADRID: Rafael Nadal swept into the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Alexei Popyrin, while Ashleigh Barty booked her spot in the women’s final by ending the run of wildcard Paula Badosa.
Nadal’s path to a possible sixth Madrid title was cleared of second seeded Daniil Medvedev and fourth-seeded Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas who were both shock third round losers.
Nadal saved five of six break points in a challenging opening set as he faced the 76th-ranked Popyrin for the first time.
A lone break of the Australian’s serve in the second was enough for the 20-time Grand Slam winner to seal the win and set up a showdown with fifth seed Alexander Zverev.
“It was difficult. The court today was slippery, it was…
