Rafael Nadal has continued to steamroll all clay-court challengers and now it is a qualifier, Martin Klizan, who stands in his way of the Barcelona semifinals on Friday. Quarterfinal action also includes David Goffin vs. Roberto Bautista Agut.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (Q) Martin Klizan
Nadal and Klizan will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers when they collide in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Friday. The head-to-head series has been intriguing from start to finish, with Nadal leading 2-1 and not one contest ending in straight sets. Following four-set victories by the Spaniard at the French Open in 2013 and Wimbledon the ensuing year, Klizan scored a 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3 upset on the hard courts of Beijing later in 2014. Something similarly competitive would come as a significant surprise, because Nadal has won an amazing 40 consecutive clay-court sets dating back to Roland Garros last spring. The world No. 1 recently cruised to title No. 11 in Monte-Carlo and he is on course to do the same in Barcelona following victories over Roberto Carballes Baena and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Due mostly to physical problems but also to poor play, Klizan is struggling down at 140th in the rankings. But getting a couple of qualifying matches under his belt has clearly done wonders for his game, as he parlayed that success into main-draw defeats of Federico Delbonis, Novak Djokovic, and Feliciano Lopez. Klizan has always been a force at the 500-point level and his style works well on clay, so this will be tougher for Nadal than his third-round contest–which is not saying a lot.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 5-7 games
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(4) David Goffin vs. (8) Roberto Bautista Agut
Goffin and Bautista Agut will be facing each other for the fifth time in their careers at the ATP level and for the second time in as many weeks when they meet again on Thursday. Since dropping their first two encounters, Goffin has leveled the head-to-head series at 2-2 thanks to a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(3) triumph on the indoor hard courts of Sofia in 2017 and a 6-4, 7-5 victory at the recent Monte-Carlo Masters. The 10th-ranked Belgian’s trip to the last week’s quarterfinals sent a message to the tour that he is truly back from an eye injury and ready to make serious noise once again on clay. Goffin has played with fire so far in Barcelona, but he punched his ticket to the last eight by making three-set comebacks against Marcel Granollers and Karen Khachanov.
Unlike many Spaniards, Bautista Agut is a quintessential all-court player who is doing fine work on clay but certainly is not a specialist on the surface. Although the 15th-ranked Spaniard struggled in Indian Wells and Miami, he is 4-1 on the red stuff in 2018 following Barcelona wins over Ivo Karlovic and lucky loser Pablo Andujar. A steep step up in competition has often been trouble for Bautista Agut and that will likely be the case again in this one, especially given Goffin’s form over the last set and a half against Khachanov.
Pick: Goffin in 2
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who ya got?
If Klizan is redlining and go for his shots,he can be very tricky and will surely challenge Rafa if he doesn’t raise his level to the occasion. I hope Rafa is aware of the danger that a well playing Klizan represents and get the win in straights,in order to save himself as much as he can.
I’m picking RBA to beat Goffin,the belgium has been tremendously inconsistent in his first matches,too many up and downs on his level,flutuating a lot.
Klizan is as inconsistent as they come and apt to lose the plot completely at times. But he is talented and at his best definitely has the game to challenge Nadal. Let us hope he does so; this sort of utter dominance is horrible for tennis. No professional player should be able to win 40 sets on the trot.
Goffin is one of the last players to outplay Nadal on clay for any length of time, in the first part of the match where he was the victim of an atrocious call last year in MC. He showed shades of that form in his last match, and should be able to take RBA in 2.
If he’s Rafa Nadal on clay, maybe he should 😄 #KingOfClayOnARoll
Joe, are you suggesting this is a Weak Era on Nadals best surface?
Why am I not surprised that a Fed fan is wringing his hands over the state of the sport of tennis because of the dominance of Rafa!
It’s not like this is anything new. Rafa has been dominating the clay season for years now, with the exception of Novak giving Rafa some competition for a few years!
Don’t we all know that it’s only okay when Fed is dominating? LOL!
There are good players on ckay, but Thiem is coming back from a knee injury, Nishi is trying to come back from a wrist injury, Goffin had an eye injury. Wawrinka seems to still be MIA.
Hey, think about Del Potro! That should cheer up Fed fans! Maybe he can give Rafa a real test on the clay!
Typical,you know. To say that Rafa’s dominance on clay is horrible for tennis it’s at the very least,hilarious and nonsense. Rafa is the best clay courter of all time and no one really comes close to him on the surface（Borg is the clear second but there’s a considerable gap between them,IMO) and the way he has dominated through the years is just remarkable and unparalleled in the history of the sports in general.
Gaviria,
Very true! As if anyone could really come close to Rafa! Borg was the first tennis livevif my life and I thought he played like a God. But Rafa has surpassed him on clay and that is no mean feat! I consider myself privileged to watch Rafa. He is rewriting the record books.
I think Klizan is one of those tricky opponents who can get in a hot streak or just be awful. He has nothing to lose, no pressure on him. I expect Rafa to be ready. He takes no one for granted.
Exactly! What about Fed winning everything except on clay from 2004 to 2007 and we had to endure seeing him at almost all Sundays when there were tournaments played, how boring! I wonder where was Joe or his fellow Fed supporters during those times, did they find that boring?
Im just amazed by what Rafa can do and has done so far, after so many years, from 2005 to 2018 and thats a good fourteen years! He has/had beaten FO champions like Albert Costa, Gaudio, Ferrero, Moya, Fed, Djoko, Stan – some were his seniors, some his peers, all the same – and is now beating the next gen promising guys on clay like Kei, Thiem and Alex Zverev.
No one has dominated a surface for so long, Rafa is truly exceptional and we may have to wait a long long time before seeing someone as dominant in the future.
GOAT in two!
Roger Federer is not playing in Barcelona, The GOAT is not here.
Oh!That’s your GOAT Stanley!…Our GOAT is playin’!…kwa!kwa!kwa!kwa!
You make any tough predictions ever? Or just say Rafa in 2. My cat could pick Rafa in 2. What about Goffin?
Insyaallah Rafa will win in 2…I know Klizan is in red hot form after defeating Novak..but,this is not Novak..
Vamos Rafa!!
MA,
Yes! Klizan is not facing Novak! This is Rafs who is rewriting the record books every day!
😍
Nny!…Yes ma’am!!…No disrespect to Novak/Novakfans or Klizan/Klizan fans…but we all know Novak not his usual self atm…And Rafa…MY GOD!…he’s just AMAZING atm…he’s at another level from the rest…It’s as simple as that…
Oh,i’ve got a couple of articles for u Nny!..
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/951758/Rafael-Nadal-Martin-Klizan-Barcelona-Open-Novak-Djokovic-quarter-final-preview
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/nadal-better-than-ever-infosys-april-2018
MA,
I don’t know how you find these, but they are a great read!
I really liked reading about Rafa’s game plan against Klizan. As expected, Rafa is not taking him for granted. He knows what he has to do.
I loved the second article with all the stats about Rafa’s game. He really is a force of nature!
Thanks!
😘
Nny!..Hehehe..i knew you’re going to love those articles!!And you’re very much welcome Nny!…
U know what i think Nny?I think what we’ve seen from Rafa so far is the after effect of his injuries..i mean,he suffered from knee injury at the end of last year…and then hip at AO…and then have had a setback at Mexico Open,IW,Miami…he had to pulled out from six tournament since last year…
All those pent up emotions,huge disappointment..uncontainable frustrations,tears,fears,the uncertainty,pain…all these blended into one giant snowball of determination & motivation to do well once again…And to add a spice..all that factors were to translated on his beloved clay,where he feel so comfortable to put himself onto..where the red dirt always give his body a gentle treatment everytime…No wonder our Rafa feel so confidence atm Nny….and he translating it with an amazing result…It was like he’s never going away these last 6 months!…My God!Vamos Rafa!!
Long live the King!!
MA,
I think you are right! You put it so beautifully! I really do believe that all the frustration and pain and disappointment of recent injuries has only motivated Rafa even more. I think maybe that is the secret to his greatness and why he has survived in this sport and continues to be at the top!
😍
Hey hey hey Nny!….Morning to u!!How r u this morning Nny?…No lingering negative feelings from yesterday i hope…New day,new start yes?
And yes about Rafa Nny…Agree with everything u said..<3
Stay focused and energized, be confident and strong, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DbyJIOwWAAMotDZ.jpg
Rafa has come out focused and ready in this match. Already up a break. He has played some wonderfully constructed points.
I read that Klizan gave a warning before this match that no one is unbeatable. Talk is cheap. Rafa does his talking with his racket.
Some nice tennis being played here. Rafa moving really well on court.
Rafa just broke again.
4-0
Rafa is all over the court not letting Klizan do anything. Very aggressive, going to net.
This is really good stuff from Rafa.
5-0
Not seeing the match. Rafa looks determined to finish this quickly which is so very important.
Nny!…R u happy with Rafa’s perfomance so far?He seems in a hurry AGAIN today!Hehehe…
This has been a demolition from Rafa.
He wins the first set 6-0.
Slurp!…Yum yum!…I’m having a bagel this morning!!
Rafa gets broken to start the second set. I hope he doesn’t let this guy back in the match. Klizan’s got nothing to lose so he’s not going to quit.
Nny!…Rafa let down his guard for a while…Don’t worry!he will get it back soon…
Go klizan!
Great from Rafa to win in two! Klizan played well in this second set while Rafa got distracted with his own dominance and Klizan’s inferiority in the first set which resulted in Rafa’s loss of focus! But he came back just in time to break back and win!
Vamos Rafa!
Ha ha, Go ‘away’ Klizan!
Well done Rafa for winning in straight sets yet again! A lapse in concentration at the first service game in set two has resulted in Rafa having to work so hard to chase from behind before winning the second set and the match in straight sets.
I think Rafa suffers from lapses more often these days (same thing happened in the GGL match) coupled with not so great serving may mean that we’ll be seeing more ‘struggles’ after an easy set and Rafa has to work harder to win in straight sets.
Rafa is Rafa, he’ll never give up and would fight to win every point esp when coming from behind.
The way Rafa fights when he’s down is incredible,putting all he has on the court with enormous resilience,mentally I think he’s the best player ever,it’ so hard to take him down!
It was very tense in the end of the second set,but again Rafa showed his warrior spirit and turned the set to get the win.
The streak is alive,Vamos 👑🎾
Goffin match way better than any match nadal has played recently. Watching someone stream roll isn’t fun. Competitve elite tennis like Rba Goffin is what I like to see.
I like competitive tennis too. Second set of Nadal/Klizan was very competitive with Nadal trailing for most of the set before finally breaking at 4-5 with Klizan serving for the set and again at 5-6 with Klizan serving to get into the tb. While Goffin-Agut had a very competitive first set which went to a tb, followed by two easy sets for Goffin. I don’t see a vast difference here unless it’s just that you don’t think anyone can beat Nadal. Well, I didn’t think RBA could beat Goffin unless he’s fatigued or injured. RBA is very consistent but he’s just not a top 10 player.
No more boring than watching Federer in his first 17 matches this year where he faced a grand total of 2 players ranked higher than No. 20.
Total yawnfest.
I came close to taking an L on my prediction that Rafa won’t lose a set in the entire clay swing. But, alas, I’m still alive! I am surprised that a guy like Klizan was able to muster up 3 set points against Rafa on clay. I am NOT surprised, however, that Rafa erased all 3 of them. Aside from his “mental problema” period from 2015 through much of 2016, Rafa’s mental toughness has always been unmatched in my opinion. Obviously anyone who has won double-digit majors automatically has to be mentally tough, but Rafa has always stood out a bit to me. When Rafa kicks the bucket, his brain should be donated to science. 😛
Klizan took the first set from Rafa at the French Open in 2013.
Fed won’t lose a set on grass or clay this year!
LOL! He’s safe for the clay season, but last year he lost his first grass match to Tommy Haas. Luckily Tommy is safely retired now.
The powers that be will be extra careful this year Ramara. 🙂
Finally some competitive tennis in a Nadal clay match. A terrific 2nd set of tennis; well done to Klizan for making in close, and Rafa for hanging in there. I thought Klizan was pretty fatigued there at the end, not surprising given all his matches here. And I’m sure I’ve never seen anyone win so many points on drop shots against Nadal on clay as Klizan did in that set.
I have no objection to Rafa winning consecutive matches. What’s horrible for tennis is uncompetitive matches. (Federer’s wins on off clay have generally never been as dominant as Nadal’s on clay). A big part of the problem imo, apart from Nadal’s obvious talent, is that players don’t play very smart against him on clay. Klizan played (in the second set) exactly the kind of tennis that at least gives a player a chance. He was going for his shots, hit or miss. There were some pretty long rallies, but they were plastering the ball, often at sharp angles. Nadal wasn’t just retrieving; Klizan made him hit some great shots to win points. Which is as it should be.
Unlike some, I wouldn’t call this a weak era on clay. Or if it is, it has been going on for about 14 years. Nadal is just that good on clay. If anything, the past year and a half has reinforced the discrepancy between his level on clay (clear GOAT) and other surfaces (very good to good).