Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the third set to defeat Nicolás Almagro, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, and reach the third round at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Djokovic rallied in the final set by breaking Almagro to go up, 6-5, and served out to earn his 15th win of the season. The victory left Djokovic on track to play a semifinal against Rafael Nadal, the four-time Madrid champion and home-crowd favorite, who struggled in a 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 win over Fabio Fognini of Italy.
Nadal will play Nick Kyrgios, who defeated Ryan Harrison, 6-3, 6-3.