Nadal gets walkover in Madrid and Federer through

By Iain Rogers

MADRID (Reuters) - World number one Rafael Nadal was handed a walkover into the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open on Thursday when his third-round opponent Philipp Kohlschreiber was forced out of the claycourt event with a left leg injury.

Nadal was joined in the last eight by world number two Roger Federer, a 6-2 6-4 winner over James Blake, and Andy Murray, who coped well with blustery conditions in the Magic Box stadium to dispatch Spanish 16th seed Tommy Robredo 7-5 6-1.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic, chasing a fifth straight final appearance, also advanced with a routine 6-4 6-4 victory over unseeded Italian Andreas Seppi.

Fans waiting to see local hero Nadal play Kohlschreiber on centre court at around 7 p.m. British time were handed a disappointment around three hours before the match was due to begin when the ATP announced the German had withdrawn.

The Mallorca native is bidding for a sixth title of the season and a fourth on clay and will play seventh-seeded compatriot Fernando Verdasco for a place in the last four.

CRASHING RETURN

Federer fell to Blake at last year's Beijing Olympics and laid down a marker in the opening game against the American 14th seed, breaking serve with a crashing backhand return.

The 13-times grand slam winner, who has yet to win a title this year, wrapped up victory with a fifth ace on his first match point and will play Andy Roddick in the next round.