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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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).