While our photographer Jimmie48 is on his way back home from the Spanish capital, preparing to charge his batteries for the upcoming Strasbourg tournament, I'm taking over the coverage of the Mutua Madrid Open, at this quarterfinal stage of the Premier-level tournament. The first to book her place in the semifinals on Thursday was defending champion Maria Sharapova, closely followed by world No.1 Serena Williams.
The third-seeded Sharapova snapped a two-match losing streak to seed No.5 Caroline Wozniacki, following up the tense victory over Caroline Garcia in the round of 16 with another three-setter in the quarterfinals.