Former world No. 2 Simona Halep upended fellow Romanian Irina Camelia Begu 6-3, 0-6, 6-1 to reach the Madrid semifinals.

“It wasn’t my best day,” Halep said. “Anyway, if I won means that I played good tennis. I’m confident it was a good match for me.

“I take it like a positive one, even if I gave that second set easy. I was there until the end, and I’m glad that I …

During a Q&A with Spanish media outlet El Mundo, Madrid tournament director Ion Tiriac dipped his toes in the dangerous equal prize money debate waters, and it didn’t go well for the Romanian.

“I say respectfully that I really like women, especially when they have long legs and are soft and elegant. They are also smart on the tennis court,” Tiriac said via Google translation. “I have no problem in …

In an interview with ESPN.com, Rod Laver already puts Novak Djokovic on equal footing to Roger Federer in the GOAT debate.

“I don’t think you put one of those two above the other when you look at their performances,” Laver said. “You know what Roger’s record is. But the way that Djokovic has been playing over the last year or so, I would say that Djokovic and Federer are equals.

“When …

Bernard Tomic upped his stupidity if that’s possible. The brash 23-year-old made the wrong headlines earlier this week for using his racquet handle to return serve down match point in Madrid. Tomic has now defended those actions, telling Australian media he didn’t care.

“I don’t care about that match point – would you care if you were 23 and worth over $10 million,” Tomic told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

What …

After stumbling in his clay opener last month, former champion Novak Djokovic had no issues Wednesday in his first match at Madrid Wednesday, crushing Borna Coric 6-2, 6-4.

“[It] was a satisfying performance against a young player that I had never played against, somebody who was in form,” Djokovic said. “I watched his match against Almagro, who won a tournament last week, and he beat him comfortably. That deserves respect.

“We …

The seeds continued their exodus Wednesday at the Madrid Masters where only one Top 16 reached the quarterfinals after four more lost.

Defending champion and No. 5 seed Petra Kvitova resumed her inconsistent 2016 dropping to spunky Daria Gavrilova 6-3, 6-4. It was Gavrilova’s second straight win over the Czech after the Australian Open.

“I think Daria really played a solid match. I couldn’t put everything together out there – I …

Bernard Tomic just can’t stop making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Yesterday in the first round of Madrid, the “Tank Engine” was losing to Fabio Fognini who held three match points at 62, 54, 40-0 when Tomic decided to return, or try to return, the Italian’s serve using the handle end of the racquet!

See for yourself!

Is a fine coming?

The 22nd-ranked Tomic is 14-11 …

Fourth seed Victoria Azarenka withdrew from her match today in Madrid against American qualifier Louisa Chirico due to a back injury.

Azarenka said she injured the back during her first round win over Laura Robson. She is still scheduled to play Rome next week, but will undergo further tests in Madrid to determine the severity of the injury. Azarenka is 26-1 on the season.

The two-time tournament finalist joins several other Top …

The Magic Box was the tragic box for the top seeded players in Madrid, with 10 of the 16 seeds out over the first three days, but on Tuesday the results leveled out for the few remaining top seeds.

All three Top 10 seeds in action moved into the third round on Tuesday as No. 6 Simona Halep, No. 8 Carla Suarez Navarro and No. 10 Timea Bacsinszky posted victories.

Halep beat …

Rafael Nadal is back? Well so is Juan Martin del Potro!

The No. 5-seeded Nadal beat Russian Alex Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday to move into the third round in Madrid, but perhaps the bigger story was the unseeded Del Potro, continuing his return from multiple wrist surgeries, beating one of the hottest claycourters of the year.

Del Potro ground down No. 14 seed and somewhat-gassed-from-last-week’s-Munich-run Dominic Thiem 7-6(5), 6-4.

“I have …

Novak Djokovic is the runaway world No. 1, but the Serb says when it comes to clay there’s only one man to beat. And that man is Rafael Nadal who enters Madrid on a blazing hot 10-match win streak after titles last month in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

“I think Rafa is everybody’s main rival on clay courts because of his history on this surface and the results that he had …

Would you believe Novak Djokovic has already forgotten about his stunning loss to Jiri Vesely in Monte Carlo last month? According to Djokovic, he has.

“I honestly completely forgot about that match,” Djokovic said. “There was not much positive to remember out of it.”

The loss, though, may have been a blessing in disguise after a busy start to 2016.

“I’ve had time after Monte-Carlo to be at home, spend some time …

Defending champion Andy Murray continues his clay season today in Madrid where he’ll take on veteran Radek Stepanek. Murray won the title last year – his first and only Masters clay crown – stunning Rafael Nadal in the final. Then at the French Open he beat David Ferrer before losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets.

“It’s quite different conditions here obviously playing at altitude,” Murray said of Madrid. “There are …

After withdrawing from his fifth event of 2016 yesterday in Madrid, Roger Federer remains confident about the French Open which begins in less than three weeks.

“I do believe I have chances there,” Federer said of the French Open. “The problem in the past has been more Rafa than the clay itself. If you take Rafa out of the equation I would’ve had an amazing clay court career. I still with …

The men’s seeds held firm in first-round play on Monday at the Mutua Madrid Masters, where Top 10 seeds David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet navigated tricky opponents to move into the second round.

The No. 9-seeded Ferrer needed to come from a set down to defeat countryman Guillermo “G-Lo” Garcia Lopez 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, while the No. 10-seeded Gasquet narrowly avoided a three-setter against Spanish qualifier Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1, 7-6(5).

Other …