A highly anticipated quarter-final clash on Wednesday at the Miami Open presented by Itau ended up being a dominant performance for fifth seed Rafael Nadal, who ended the inspired run of 13^th seed Jack Sock 6-2, 6-3.

“I think I was under control during the whole first set. In the second set, it was so important to save that game at 0-2, 15/40, and then get the break back in the next game,” said Nadal. “It was two positive things in two straight games that probably created a lot of damage to him.”

Seeking his first title in Miami after finishing runner-up here on four occasions, Nadal will now play Fabio Fognini for a place in Sunday’s final. He leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head with the Italian 7-3, but the pair has split their past six matches. Their previous encounter in Miami was a one-sided affair, with Nadal recording a swift 6-2, 6-2 win in their 2014 fourth-round clash.

“I know him very well and he knows me very well. We played a few times and he’s beaten me a couple of times, too. It’s a tough match,” said Nadal. “He’s playing well, so it will be a good challenge. I need to play my best, keep playing aggressively like I did today and hope to have my chances.”

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Nadal opened the match by immediately breaking Sock in the American’s first service game and racing to a 3-0 lead. Maintaining control of the baseline rallies, he continued to keep Sock off balance and grabbed a second break at 5-2 to take the opening set. 

But Sock refused to go away quietly. Hitting his forehand with great authority, he broke Nadal to start the second set. The 13th seed had game points to grab a double break at 2-0, but the Spaniard managed to hold serve and then quickly regained momentum. Nadal leveled the match at 2-2 and a double fault from Sock on break point two games later gave the fifth seed a commanding advantage. He closed out the match on serve at the first attempt to wrap up the victory in one hour and 23 minutes. Nadal improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Sock to 3-0.

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan remain in the hunt for a fifth Miami Open presented by Itau title following a dramatic 6-7(4), 6-4, 11-9 win over Croatians Marin Cilic and Nikola Mektic in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The veteran brothers, who face countrymen Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock in the semi-finals, can return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings by lifting the trophy this weekend, otherwise Finland’s Henri Kontinen will claim top position.

Cilic/Mektic looked comfortable on serve to lead 5-2, however the Bryan Brothers managed to force a first-set tie-break. The Croatian duo combined well at the net to edge ahead, before Cilic’s retrieval skills earned a commanding set-and-a-break lead.

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A backhand return winner from Bob Bryan was the catalyst for an immediate break back for 3-3. Then leading at 5-4, Mike Bryan latched onto a difficult smash to secure the break and set on deciding point on Mektic’s serve. The Californian twins used their momentum to move 6/2 in front in the Match Tie-break, and despite Cilic/Mektic erasing that advantage, an ace from Mike Bryan found the line to confirm victory on their second match point.

Earlier on Wednesday Brian Baker and Daniel Nestor booked their semi-final spot with a 6-3, 5-7, 10-3 triumph over Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Peya. The American-Canadian duo will meet sixth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, who also clinched victory on a Match Tie-break with a fighting 2-6, 6-3, 10-8 win against fourth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match-ups & vote for the players you think will win! 
Federer vs Berdych  |  Kyrgios vs Zverev

View Thursday’s schedule.

DAY 9 PREVIEW: The remaining two quarter-finals in the Miami Open, presented by Itau, on Thursday feature a rivalry that has been going on for 14 years while the other is the rivalry of the future between two young stars on the ATP World Tour. No. 4 seed and 2005-06 Miami champion Roger Federer brings a 17-6 head-to-head record against No. 10 seed Tomas Berdych while No. 12 seed Nick Kyrgios meets No. 16 seed Alexander Zverev for the second straight tournament. Kyrgios won the first meeting 63 64 in the 3R at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells on March 14.

The first match on features two players who have not dropped a set in the tournament, as Federer looks to extend his six-match winning streak against Berdych, who last defeated the Swiss superstar in the semi-finals of 2013 Dubai. During the streak, Federer has won the last 14 sets. They extended their rivalry to a 14th consecutive year in January when Federer won in straight sets in the 3R at the Australian Open. In their previous Miami meeting in the 4R in 2010, Berdych prevailed 64 67 76 and went on to reach the final (l. to Roddick). Federer comes into his 10th Miami quarter-final on an eight-match winning streak (16-0 in sets) and overall he is 16-1 on the season. Berdych is making his fifth straight quarter-final appearance in Miami and eighth overall in 13 years. The 31-year-old Czech Republic native leads the tournament in service games won (29 of 30, 97%) while Federer has held 30 of 33 service games (91%).

In the night session quarter-final, Kyrgios tries to reach his second straight semi-final in Miami against Zverev, who is making his Masters 1000 quarter-final debut. This is the youngest QF, SF or F match in an Masters 1000 tournament between Kyrgios (21) and Zverev (19) since 2008 Cincinnati where Novak Djokovic (21) beat Ernests Gulbis (19) in the quarter-finals. Zverev, who will turn 20 on April 20, is the first teenager and youngest player to reach the quarter-finals in Miami since Djokovic and Andy Murray, who were both 19 in 2007. Djokovic won the title and Murray reached the semi-finals that year. Zverev has rallied the past two matches, saving three match points in his three tie-break sets win over John Isner in the 3R and coming back to beat top seed/World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka 46 62 61 in the 4R. Kyrgios has dropped one set so far, in his 3R final set TB win over No. 17 seed Ivo Karlovic. He followed with a 76 63 win over No. 8 seed  and last year’s semi-finalist David Goffin.  

NO. 1 DOUBLES RANKING UPDATE: The No. 1 position in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings will change hands next Monday with Henri Kontinen of Finland or Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan taking  over from Nicolas Mahut. The Bryans will take over No. 1 from Mahut, who has held No. 1 every week since July 11, 2016, if they win the title. Mahut won last year’s Miami title with Pierre-Hugues Herbert but they withdrew from their 2R match due to Herbert’s leg injury. Kontinen, who lost in the 2R (w/Peers), will become the first Finnish player to rank No. 1 unless the Bryan brothers win their fifth Miami title (2007-08, 2014-15). They play in the semi-finals on Thursday vs. Monroe/Sock.

Fabio Fognini is on a tear at the Miami Open presented by Itaú. The enigmatic Italian’s run continued on Wednesday as he advanced to his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final at the expense of Kei Nishikori, beating the second-seeded Japanese star 6-4, 6-2.

World No. 40 Fognini notched his first victory in three attempts over Nishikori, scoring his first Top 5 win since defeating then-No. 4 Rafael Nadal in the third round at 2015 Barcelona. It earns him a spot in his first Masters 1000 semi-final since 2013, when he reached the last four in Monte-Carlo (l. to Djokovic).

“At the moment, I’m just happy. Of course this is a big, big tournament for me. I’m feeling really good on court and other times, so this is the best thing that I can have this week,” said Fognini. “I’m happy about my performance. Of course, the result is positive. It’s like a dream maybe. I’m just trying to be focused on my game and do my best.”

The 29-year-old Fognini became the first Italian to reach the Miami semi-finals in tournament history as he dismissed Nishikori in 68 minutes. He faltered only briefly at the closing stages of both sets, being broken as he served for the opener at 5-3 and again when serving for the match at 5-1 in the second set, but on both occasions immediately broke Nishikori decisively in the following game.

It is a marked upturn in form for Fognini, who came into Miami with just seven wins on the board in 2017. He is the first unseeded player to reach the semi-finals in Miami since qualifier Guillermo Canas advanced to the final in 2007 (l. to Djokovic). The right-hander will bid to reach his first Masters 1000 final when he faces either Nadal or Jack Sock.

“I mean, Rafa, everybody knows Rafa,” joked Fognini. “Jack, he’s in really good shape. I think he’s had a really good start to the year and is playing really solid at the moment. I think it’s going to be a good match. We will see.”

Nishikori had won 15 of his past 17 matches in Miami coming into the quarter-finals. The Bradenton, Florida resident reached the final in Key Biscayne last year, finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic. 

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Roger Federer is a legend of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000s. The Swiss has won more matches at this level (338 going into the Miami Open quarter-finals) than any other player and owns 25 Masters 1000 titles (in addition to his six year-end ATP Finals crowns).

Along with Novak Djokovic, Federer is the only player to win eight different Masters 1000 events. Federer has won seven of the current nine, and won Hamburg four times when it was a Masters 1000.

In this exclusive Q&A with ATPWorldTour.com, Federer talks about a modest start to his Masters 1000 career, his favourite stops and his toughest matches.

Which are your favourite Masters 1000 tournaments?
Shanghai and Indian Wells

Which is your favourite Masters 1000 host city?
Shanghai and Rome. Shanghai because of the buzz. I love the area, The Bund. There are so many cool places to go see there. Rome because of the obvious: its history, the buildings, the people, the coffee, the ice cream, the pizza, the pasta. You name it.

Can you remember your Masters 1000 debut?
Here [Miami] in ‘99 I got a wild card after winning the Orange Bowl the year before on the same court. I played terrible… but I still do appreciate getting the wild card. [Federer lost 7-5, 7-6(4) to World No. 106 Kenneth Carlsen.]

Which is the most family-friendly Masters 1000 tournament?
Cincinnati is a lot of fun. It’s very quiet, so that works well for the family. Indian Wells also because of the quiet nature of the city.

What are your earliest memories of the Masters 1000 series?
I remember watching the Super 9s with Becker and Stich playing. Then Marcelo Rios was very successful at the Super 9 level. When I came up it was still Super 9s and only later did it move into Masters 1000s.

What is the toughest match you’ve played at this level?
Probably two, actually. One in the [2005] Miami final, where I beat Nadal 6-1 in the fifth. And then when I lost to Rafa in the [2006] Rome final 7-6 in the fifth.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match-ups & vote for the players you think will win! 
Nadal vs Sock  |  Nishikori vs Fognini

View Wednesday’s schedule.

• DAY 8 PREVIEW: The Miami Open, presented by Itau, quarter-finals in the bottom half of the draw on Wednesday is led by No. 2 seed and last year’s finalist Kei Nishikori, along with four-time runner-up No. 5 seed Rafael Nadal. The other two players making their first Miami Open quarter-final appearance are No. 13 seed Jack Sock and unseeded Fabio Fognini.

In the first quarter-final, Nishikori looks for his third win in as many meetings against Fognini, who is the first Italian to reach the quarters in Miami since Diego Nargiso in 1992 (l. to Courier). Nishikori won the first meeting in the 1R at the 2011 Australian Open in four sets and last year prevailed 7-5 in the third set in the 2R at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid. This is Fognini’s third career ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, the first since 2014 Cincinnati (l. to Raonic). His best ATP Masters 1000 result came in 2013 Monte-Carlo where he reached the SFs (l. to Djokovic). Fognini is looking for his first Top 5 win since defeating No. 4 Nadal in the 3R at 2015 Barcelona. The 29-year-old Italian is trying to become the first unseeded player to reach the semi-finals here since qualifier Guillermo Canas advanced to the final in 2007 (l. to Djokovic). Nishikori, who is in pursuit of his first ATP Masters 1000 title, has won 15 of his past 17 matches in Miami since 2014 after going 5-4 in his first four appearances. Nishikori is appearing in his fourth straight quarter-final.and he’s trying to reach his third semi-final in Miami (2014 SF, 2016 Final) and 11th overall ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

In the night session, Nadal brings a 2-0 record against Sock, having won both previous meetings in 2015, at Roland Garros (4R) in four sets and Beijing (QF) in three sets. Nadal is making his ninth Miami quarter-final appearance in 13 attempts and he’s played this tournament the most without winning the title. Nadal had a 16-match winning streak against Americans snapped with his Acapulco final loss to Sam Querrey on March 4. Sock is making his fourth straight quarter-final showing in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament going back to Shanghai and Paris last season. In his last tournament Sock advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Indian Wells (l. to eventual champion Federer). He comes in with an 18-3 match record on the season and he has beaten four of his last five Top 10 opponents going back to the 2016 US Open (d. No. 9 Cilic in 3R)..He is trying to become the first American to reach the semi-finals here since John Isner two years ago (l. to Djokovic). Sock is also in the doubles semi-finals (w/Monroe).

NO. 1 IN EMIRATES ATP DOUBLES RANKING AT STAKE: The No. 1 position in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings will change hands next Monday with Henri Kontinen of Finland or Bob and Mike Bryan taking over.from Nicolas Mahut. The Frenchman has held No. 1 every week since July 11, 2016. He won last year’s Miami title with Pierre-Hugues Herbert but they withdrew from their 2R match due to Herbert’s leg injury. Kontinen, who lost in the 2R (w/Peers), will become the first Finnish player to rank No. 1 unless the Bryan brothers win their fifth Miami title (2007-08, 2014-15). They play in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.