In a rematch of the 2018 French Open title tilt, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem will battle for a place in the Barcelona final on Saturday. The other semifinal in the bottom half of the bracket pits Kei Nishikori against Daniil Medvedev.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (3) Dominic Thiem
Novak Djokovic may have something to say about it over the next six weeks, but Nadal vs. Thiem could once again be the best “rivalry” of the clay-court swing. They will face each other for the 12th time in their careers and for the first time this season when they square off in the semis of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Saturday afternoon. Nadal and Thiem collided three times during last year’s dirt season, with the Spaniard prevailing in Monte-Carlo (6-0, 6-2) and at Roland Garros (6-4, 6-3, 6-2) while the Australian pulled off an upset in Madrid (7-5, 6-3). Their most memorable encounter came a few months later at the U.S. Open, where Nadal survived a 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5) thriller to improve to 8-3 in the head-to-head series.
The world No. 2 failed to capture a 12th title in Monte-Carlo, but he also has a chance to accomplish that feat in Barcelona. Nadal has improved to a ridiculous 61-3 lifetime at this tournament with victories over Leonardo Mayer, David Ferrer, and Jan-Lennard Struff. Thiem, who also underwhelmed last week, is through to the final four following defeats of Diego Schwartzman, Jaume Munar, and Guido Pella. The third seed has a real chance in this one if he plays like he did in the second set against Pella, but Nadal’s record in Barcelona (the 61-3 overall mark plus 36-1 in his last 37 sets) cannot be overlooked.
Pick: Nadal in 3
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(4) Kei Nishikori vs. (7) Daniil Medvedev
Nishikori and Medvedev will be meeting for the fourth time in their careers and for the fourth time in the past 13 months. The head-to-head series stands at 2-1 in favor of Nishikori, who prevailed 7-5, 6-2 last spring in Monte-Carlo and 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 earlier this season in the Brisbane final. Medvedev scored a 6-2, 6-4 victory for the Tokyo title last fall.
Although Nishikori has cooled off of late, his 2019 campaign includes his Brisbane title and a quarterfinal performance at the Australian Open. The world No. 7 from Japan has advanced this week by beating Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Roberto Carballes Baena. Medvedev represents a steep step up in competition, as the 23-year-old Russian registers at 14th in the rankings thanks in part to a 24-7 match record this season. Medvedev has the edge in current form and he also has to be feeling confident based on his recent efforts against Nishikori.
Pick: Medvedev in 3
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