Nishikori To Meet Kyrgios In Madrid QFs On Friday

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer have combined to win the last 15 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, with at least one member of the ‘Big Four’ playing in 30 straight finals at this level. Through three rounds at the 2016 Mutua Madrid Open, three players remain capable of extending those streaks on Sunday.

Djokovic and Nadal have not dropped a set as they battle for a record 29th ATP Masters 1000 title. The top-seeded Djokovic is 6-0 in matches and 15-1 in sets against his quarter-final opponent on Friday, World No. 10 Milos Raonic. Djokovic is also on a 12-match unbeaten run versus Top 10 players, winning 27 of 28 sets during that stretch. Nadal, meanwhile, meets unseeded Joao Sousa for a spot in the semi-finals. Sousa is 1-21 with a 19-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents.

Play begins with Murray, the 2008 and 2015 Madrid champion, facing No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych. The Brit is 0-3 against Berdych on clay, but 3-0 overall since Dani Vallverdu left Murray’s camp to coach the Czech last season. Should Murray fail to defend his title this week, he will lose the No. 2 ranking to Federer on Monday. Also on Friday, No. 6 seed Kei Nishikori plays 21-year-old Aussie Nick Kyrgios, the youngest Madrid quarter-finalist since Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.

With Jamie Murray losing in the second round, there will be a new No. 1 in next week’s Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings. Ex-No. 1 Marcelo Melo has the inside track but can be passed by No. 3 Nicolas Mahut and No. 5 Horia Tecau. All three contenders play in the quarter-finals on Friday, with Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert continuing their quest for history against Bob and Mike Bryan. The Frenchmen are bidding to become the first doubles team or singles player to sweep the first four ATP Masters 1000 titles. The Bryans came the closest to doing so in 2014, winning Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo before falling in the Madrid final.