Earlier on Friday, two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori qualified for the semi-finals after beating 11th-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov 7-5, 6-0.
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In the semi-finals, the eight-time Barcelona champion will face the 10th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who thrashed the 16th seeded Andrey Kuznetsov, 6-3, 6-1.
“Honestly, if that had happened previous year it could have provoked a flurry of nerves”, added Nadal.
Nishikori got back in the match after Nadal misjudged a ball that he thought was going wide when he could have smashed it.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts during his game with Japan’s Kei Nishikori during the Barcelona Open tennis tournament final in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 24, 2016. “The fact I had a good percentage of first serves allowed me to play better”, said Nadal.
France’s Benoit Paire overcame Pablo Cuevas 6-2, 6-4 to set up a quarterfinals with Tunisian Malek Jaznin, who beat German teenage sensation Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Nadal was leading 2-0 in the second set, with Fognini appearing bothered by a right shoulder that he twice asked a doctor to massage between points.
The Spaniard is yet to suffer a defeat since the start of this year’s clay campaign, winning the opening Monte Carlo Masters tournament last week, and has continued this impressive run in front of his home fans. “I don’t like the way I played because I committed too many errors”, said the former world number one.
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Playing on clay for the first time this season, Nishikori rarely looked in trouble against his French opponent, save for a late wobble which left him needing to round off the contest with his second match point. At the second attempt, Nadal broke for 4-3, held, and then broke again courtesy of three pounding forehands, 6-3.
