Roger Federer
Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts after breaking serve during his match against Gilles Simon of France at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 8, 2015. Reuters/Toby Melville

Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray headline quarterfinal blockbuster matches at the 2015 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati after winning their respective third round games on Thursday (EDT). Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, failed to come through with three-set loss to fellow compatriot Feliciano Lopez.

Making his 15th appearance in Cincinnati, defending champion Federer beat Kevin Anderson in straight sets in his quest to win his seventh Cincinnati title 6-1 6-1 extending his head-to-head record 4-0 over the South African player. The 17-time Swiss grand slam champion is playing his first tournament since losing to Djokovic for second consecutive time in the finals at the All England Club. He boasts a 37-4 record in Cincinnati since 2005. Federer won the Western & Southern Open in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Federer, who turned 34 on Aug. 8, will face Feliciano Lopez for a place in the last four of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Masters 1000 event. Lopez progressed in the next round after scoring a stunning upset of 2013 champion Rafael Nadal 5-7 6-4 7-6.

Nadal, who had been fighting through a mental struggle this season, said that the loss was a tough one for him. Speaking after his third round match, the Spanish tennis star said that he entered the match with the right mindset, but Lopez displayed a fantastic match.

“He (Lopez) played the best match ever against me, without a doubt,” Nadal said in a report by ATPWorldTour.com. “For me, it’s a tough loss because I was playing better and my feelings on court were better than they were before.”

Lopez has now won in his last two encounters with Nadal. He previously defeated the 14-time grand slam champion in the hard courts of Shanghai in 2014 6-3 7-6(6).

Djokovic also moved on to the quarterfinal after defeating 13th-seed David Goffin 6-4 2-6 6-3 and set up clash with Stan Wawrinka, who beat him earlier this year at the Roland Garros. Wawrinka managed to come through Ivo Karlovic test and beat the 36-year-old in three tiebreak sets 6-7 7-6 7-6.

Murray, who is coming off from winning his third Rogers Cup title, defeated 16th-seed Grigor Dimitrov 4-6 7-6 7-5 to advance in Cincinnati. He will play Richard Gasquet in the quarters, who beat reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets 7-5 6-3.

Sixth-seeded Czech tennis star Tomas Berdych also won his match against Tommy Robredo 6-0 6-1 to book a meeting with qualifier Alexander Dolgopolov, who beat Jerzy Janowicz 6-3 3-6 6-4.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES