ATP Barcelona: Rafael Nadal also fights Kei Nishikori
Rafael Nadal is in the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona thanks to a contested three-set win over Kei Nishikori. The Spaniard beat the Japanese 6-0, 2-6 and 6-2.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Apr 22, 2021, 06:36 pm
And suddenly it was quiet in Barcelona: When Kei Nishikori found three consecutive breakballs in the first game of the third set, the few spectators in the Catalan capital feared bad things. The eleven-time title holder and local hero Rafael Nadal had his back to the wall, after the quarter-final in Monte Carlo, the world number three faced another quick farewell.
But as so often in his career, the 20-time Grand Slam champion pulled his head out of the loop, broke in the fourth game of the set and from then on was unstoppable. In the end, it was 6: 0, 2: 6 and 6: 2 from the point of view of Nadal, who had already needed three sets to kick off against Ilya Ivashka.
At first there was absolutely nothing to suggest that it would go so far against Nishikori. Nadal dominated the first round at will and also found a breakball at the beginning of the second section. However, the Japanese managed to defuse this - the starting signal for a great second part of the match.
But due to the determination of his opponent, Nishikori could not bring the game to a successful end from his point of view. Nadal will now face Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals. The Brit benefited from an injury-related abandonment (groin problem) by David Goffin in his round of 16 encounter.
Here the single tableau in Barcelona
barcamap