Thiem sets up potential Murray semi

Barcelona - Dominic Thiem made light work of Japanese lucky loser Yuichi Sugita 6-1, 6-2 to set up a potential clash with world number one Andy Murray in the Barcelona Open semi-finals.

Sugita lost in qualifying and was only handed a place in the main draw after compatriot Kei Nishikori's late withdrawal with a wrist injury.

However, the world number 91 had shocked Richard Gasquet and seventh seed Pablo Carreno Busta on route to the last eight.

Thiem, though, had far too much quality as the Austrian wrapped up victory in under an hour on court.

Murray is seeking revenge later on Friday when he meets Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the Catalan capital.

Ramos-Vinolas beat the Wimbledon champion on his return from an elbow injury in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters last week.

Rafael Nadal's quest for a 10th Barcelona title also continues in Friday's quarter-finals when he faces Korean qualifier Chung Hyeon.

Results from the ATP Barcelona Open on Friday (x denotes seeding):

Quarter-finals

Dominic Thiem (AUT x4) bt Yuichi Sugita (JPN) 6-1, 6-2