Fourth seed Rafael Nadal faces ninth seed David Goffin in the Men's singles quarter-final of 2017 Madrid Open on Friday.
The four-time champion decimated Nick Kyrgios in straight sets in his R16 match yesterday, continuing his fine form on the red dirt in the 2017 season.
On the other hand, Goffin made light work of fifth seed Milos Raonic, much to the surprise of quite a few, who had expected a tight R16 match between the two on Thursdsay.
Friday's clash between Nadal and Goffin is one of the most-anticipated quarter-final matches in Madrid as the two faced off in a controversy-ridden semi-final outing in Monte Carlo, that went in favour of the Spaniard after the world number 10 lost focus due to a debatable line call.
Like Nadal, Goffin has also been consistent on the red dirt this season, decimating Novak Djokovic enroute to the semi-final in Monte Carlo and then a quarter-final in the ongoing tournament. The Belgian has not dropped a set here, comfortably edging past Karen Khachanov, against whom he suffered a shock second round defeat in Barcelona, Florian Mayer and Raonic.
Having won titles in Rotterdam and Sofia and making a strong start to the clay season, the Belgian will be high on confidence but he should be wary of the stern test that awaits him later today.
Nadal, on the other hand, showed he is ready for Roland Garros challenge when he decimated Kyrgios, who had beaten Djokovic twice in the new season. With a possible semi-final outing against the world number two on cards, the Spaniard would want to send a warning notice by clinching another comfortable win today.
