Fognini had won three of the previous five meetings between the pair, including in Barcelona and at the US Open past year. Nadal proved more decisive under pressure, saving seven of eight break chances in the first set while converting the two chances he got.
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Nadal will equal former Argentine great Guillermo Vilas’ record of 49 titles on clay if he wins on Sunday (Monday NZT).
He is now likely to take a week off before continuing his preparations for the French Open by playing in the traditional tune-up events in Madrid and Rome. And there was one statistic in particular that told the story of how Nadal came out on top in a 51-minute first set. Nishikori booked his spot in his third Barcelona Open final.
“I was playing against the number six player in the world, and if you don’t play at your best you aren’t going to win”, Nadal said.
Nishikori appeared to have a grip on the second set right at the outset, as another Paire double-fault contributed towards conceding a 2-0 lead, but the Frenchman got a break back instantly to give himself hope.
“I served well and that allowed me to play better”.
“I stepped in more today”.
Rafael Nadal remains on course for a ninth Barcelona Open title as a comfortable 6-3 6-3 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber sealed his passage to the final.
Nishikori hit a backhand victor down the line to break Paire’s first service game in the second set, just one of several passing shots in an overall strong performance.
Three match points went begging in game 12, but Nadal quickly recovered to race through the tie-break and he remains on course for a ninth title in Barcelona.
He would not be denied, though, sealing victory after two hours when Nishikori slapped a forehand into the net.
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Nishikori will play 11th-seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, who defeated Russian qualifier Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5 behind 10 aces. No other player has won a tournament nine times.
