Thursday’s conditions at the Caja Magica is a sharp contrast to the previous days. The temperature has dropped, the wind has increased and the sun is hidden away by the clouds. Nevertheless, the change in conditions has done little to deter a trio of star players from their final preparations at the Caja Magica.
Simona Halep remains the last seed standing in the women’s draw. This year she is one out of four Romanians in the quarterfinals in what is an outstanding achievement for the nation. Preparing for her match against Irina-Camila Begu, the world No.7 looked determined during practice as she hit a series of winners with all her power. She moved well throughout the session, getting frustrated when she missed a shot. Based on her display, Halep is certainly on a mission.
Richard Gasquet will be hoping to reach the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters for the first time in his career. Preparing for his clash against Kei Nishikori, a prime focus for the Gasquet camp was his serving. In his second round encounter against Vernando Verdasco, the Frenchman struggled with his second serve. The 29-year-old could only win 48% of his second service points. Gasquet is yet to lose to Niskikori after winning their six previous meetings.
Finally, Nishikori trained on one of the outside courts in front of numerous Japanese fans and the media. Bidding to grab his first ever win over Gasquet, the sixth seed showed encouraging signs with a sequence of clean hitting throughout. Nishikori come into Madrid with fresh confidence after reaching the final at last week’s Barcelona Open.
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