MADRID (AP) – Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal will meet again in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Saturday, a rematch of last year’s final won by the British player.
The second-ranked Murray defeated Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2 on Friday to make the last four for the second consecutive Masters tournament on clay, while Nadal had to fight hard to get past Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.
Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, celebrating her 27th birthday, reached the women’s final by beating American qualifier Louisa Chirico 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour. She will play either Simona Halep or Samantha Stosur.
Murray had to play under a closed roof at the “Magic Box” center court because of rain.
“They were different conditions, playing under the roof, and I’ve adjusted to them well,” said Murray, who never faced a break point. “That was the most pleasant thing for me, because I’ve only played maybe three or four indoor clay matches in my life. Not easy conditions, against a tough opponent, and I played well.”