Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori have won 10 of the last 11 Barcelona titles and they are one round away from a potential showdown in the 2016 final. They first have to get past Philipp Kohlschreiber and Benoit Paire, respectively, on Saturday.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (10) Philipp Kohlschreiber
Nadal is coming off a ninth title in Monte-Carlo and he is now two wins away from accomplishing the same feat at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. On the heels of a disappointing 2015 campaign, the fifth-ranked Spaniard also started slow this year and his American hard-court swing ended with a retirement in the Miami second round. But Nadal is heating up during his favorite and most important part of the season and he is all the way up to No. 2 in the race to London. So far in Barcelona, the top seed has taken out Marcel Granollers, Albert Montanes, and Fabio Fognini all in straight sets.
Up next for Nadal on Saturday is a 13th career contest against Kohlschreiber, who is a futile 1-11 in the head-to-head series. Kohlschreiber’s lone victory came on the grass courts of Halle in 2012, when a fatigued Nadal had just lifted the French Open trophy for a seventh time. On clay, the 27th-ranked German is is 0-3 against Nadal at the ATP level and 0-6 in total sets. Kohlschreiber is a stellar 15-7 for his 2016 campaign following victories this week over Pablo Carreno Busta, Feliciano Lopez, and Andrey Kuznetsov. The 10th should be especially confident after cruising past Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-1 on Friday, but there is no reason to think he can turned the tide against Nadal on this surface or at this particular event. Kohlschreiber is an extremely consistent performer and rock-solid all-court player, but he does not have the huge firepower with which to seriously trouble Nadal.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 8 games or fewer
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(6) Benoit Paire vs. (2) Kei Nishikori
Nishikori and Paire will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers and for the third time since last summer when they meet again on Saturday. The head-to-head series is all tied up at two wins apiece after Paire pulled off a pair of upsets in 2015. During first-round action at the U.S. Open, the Frenchman saved two match points before overcoming Nishikori 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4. Paire also prevailed 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the Tokyo semifinals. Nishikori’s victories have come in straight sets on the indoor hard courts of Paris in 2012 and in four sets at the 2013 French Open.
They are now set for a second consecutive showdown in a 500-point semifinal. Paire’s presence in the last four is not entirely expected even though he is the No. 6 seed, because the 26-year-old had lost five of six matches prior to last week and he blew a set and 3-0 lead against Andy Murray in the Monte-Carlo third round. He has bounced back in Barcelona with defeats of Teymuraz Gabashvili, Pablo Cuevas, and Malek Jaziri. Nishikori is the two-time defending champion of this event and he is back in the semis thanks to straight-set wins at the expense of Thiemo De Bakker, Jeremy Chardy, and Alexandr Dolgopolov. Once again in awesome form at a tournament he clearly loves, the world No. 6 should be able to avenge his recent losses to Paire without too much trouble.
Pick: Nishikori in 2
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I gave Rafa 7/10 because I thought he made life difficult for himself by putting his serve at risk even though he didn’t actually lose it. Watching live, you tend to judge the performance by the amount of anxiety you feel and I did feel anxious on occasions but at no time was it a poor performance.
Rafa’s on-court interview.
A short summary in English made by Genny:
¤¤ Rafa says that today it was a match with a little rhythm. He didn’t feel as comfy with his BH as other days (it was a bit windy).
He is very happy with the win & reaching another final. He knows he has to play really well to have chances vs Kei, one of best players in world.
Rafa praises Kohlschreiber as a complete player with all the shots, but says his game matches him well. Kohlschreiber’s OHBH is very good. ¤¤
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B63MEKv2Uw0
he might have to win both Madrid and Rome I guess to be seed 4
Some of it depends on how Stan does defending his points. But if Rafa wins, then he is going his part.
It’s s really tall order to win both Madrid and Rome, especially with Novak in the mix.
If Rafa wins tomorrow, he must win 875 points more than Wawrinka in Madrid and Rome to catch him.
Madrid may well be useless, but Rafa is defending 600 finalist points there. He needs another good result.
Rafa has to win tomorrow if he wants to get the #4 ranking for RG.
Thats right. I wish he is seeded 4th in RG. That will help him avoid Djokovic till at least the semis. Beating him will be easier later on in the tournament.
Rafa’s short interview in English starts at the 4:14 minute marks:
(Rafa says today he played with less intensity than on other days of this week.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbxG97AfuB8
Rafa’s quotes from his post-match press-conference:
“It was my worst match of the tournament. I did not like my match today. I played better yesterday and the day before yesterday. You can always have a day when you don’t play well. Tomorrow I want to win and be very competitive. Today was not my best level.”
“I am very happy in general. I am playing in a clear and regular way. I need to be prepared to play well in complicated moments.”
“Reaching the final means that I earn 300 extra points. Playing another final in Barcelona is very special for me. I need to maintain the high level of tennis. My goal is to be happy and enjoy the game.”
“Nishikori is a very complicated rival, he moves very fast and does not give you a lot of time during the point. He has been playing very well this season, played a great tournament in Indian Wells, Memphis and reached the final in Miami and now here in Barcelona.”
http://www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/sites/default/files/audios/pdf/rafa_nadal__2.pdf
Rafa’s post-match interview with the ATP staff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJD7lMIg_o4
So what do you guys think now??? Rafa is criticizing is performance! So have a go at Rafa too now? lol
It was pretty clear he did not play very well and he benifitted from the UE’s from Kohls. That does not mean he played badly. He played solid overall and was strong on key moments. The finish was strong too.
Stats don’t mean much sometimes so focus on his play more rather than stats alone.
Rafa was strong mentally and had great tactics…he neutralized Kohls game and went for his shots! He was not always successful, made errors here and there but played solid match. He said he couldn’t find rhytm and I agree. But the wind bothered him as well…
Of course Rafa will criticize his game because Rafa is pure perfectionist.,. 🙂
“Of course Rafa will criticize his game “… wrong…. where were the criticisms following most of his wins lately? Being a perfectionist does not equate to that at all…
I criticized some aspects because it was clear to me… Luckystar also had a few reservations and so did NNY.
I KNEW Rafa would also not be thrilled with this performance and it happened to be the case..
Rafa will beat Kei in 2 sets though, I think.
Some can’t handle the truth VR.
You said what Rafa said. But you understand tennis. Was not difficult to see that Rafa was not as consistent as earlier this week.
In others words Rafa agrees with VR. Great tennis minds are everywhere lol.
Yes! Thanks for saying it! Rafa was honest in his assassment as always and did talk about what worked and what did not work!
A player has to look at his matches with a critical eye. Fans do the same, as we discuss in the live blog during and after matches. Rafa has an excellent grasp of how his matches play out. I appreciate his no- nonsense approach to analyzing his game in each match.
He also said that he can’t always come out and play his best. More honesty! But it is important for a player and his team to have an awareness of what aspects of the game are working and what are not. It’s a critical part of the process of continuing to work towards being one’s best and peaking at the right time!
Way to go, Rafa!
absolutely! no point in blindly saying he was too damn good all the time.
There are a ton of positives to take from his performances now but the expectations are rising at the same time. Hence, the standards used to judge his performances will keep rising too…
vr.
Exactly! Now that Rafa us himself again, we will judge him by the standards that he has set for himself throughout his career.
I still remember Rafa saying that his forehand was “vulgar” after that loss to Fog in Rio last year. He was disgusted with himself! I would not have thought to use that term, yet Rafa had no problem at all with better pretty blunt about it!
That’s why this nonsense about fans criticizing Rafa and being somehow not good fans or not fair, is absurd!
If Rafa can be honest about his performance in matches, then I don’t see why his fans cannot do the same. Real tennis fans who love this sport will always want to say what they think. Otherwise, what’s the point? That’s how good discussions are created.
Rafa is such a student of the game, that I find it hard to believe that he would have any problem with his fans discussing the state of his game or analyzing his matches,
The tennis guru has said:
¤¤ ed251137 APRIL 18, 2016 AT 8:51 PM: “Nobody is better than Nada himself at analysing his game and knowing what he needs to do.”¤¤
https://tenngrand.com/social/player-pages/rafael-nadal/comment-page-126/#comment-106828
Well said VR. Some don’t understand tennis or Rafa. lol not worth listening to.
AT 11:28 PM,
Only Rafa and his team are worth listening to.
I wouldn’t be too concerned about Rafa’s ranking for RG! If his game is clicking, if he is confident and healthy he is dangerous for anyone, including Nole. All Rafa’s success comes from his racquet and his superior play. This year is no different. If his game is on there is a strong argument that Rafa beats Nole rather than vice versa as Novak will feel more pressure than Rafa. Rafa of 2015 is no indication and is exception…in fact it was not a real Rafa at all…
nats gets it.
I tend to agree with assessment. Hope Rafa raises the trophy tomorrow!!
Vamos!!
Lets see whats in store for tomorrow. Certainly wont be easy against Nishikori, but Rafa did beat him in IW not too long ago
Nishi far better now
of course, so is Rafa
Rafa has always been the biggest critic of his own game! So was Toni! He had different retorics in 2015 because he was having mental doubts about his game and lost his aura and it being the way to build his confidence. And his assessment of the game and his opponents has always been out front.
I also always say that Rafa’s fans are the most demanding and are always focused on what does not work in his game looking for constant improvement. I respect that! But Novak’s fans or Fedfans usually are nothing like that. Fans approach tennis differently! I look for positives in his game and try to be optimistic. Rafa of today is whole different one and is getting closer to what he used to be when he was at his peak! However, our Rafa IMO will never be the same as Rafa of 2008 so I evaluate this Rafa and I like what I see….of course there is and will be room for improvement…
I also know the match with Nishi would be tough…but I hope for Rafa to find his way of beating him in 2! If it goes to 3 with Rafa winning is also going to be fine with me!
Vamos Champ!
A short summary of some comments above:
Natashao AT 4:04 PM: “Wow, harsh critics of Rafa’s game here…”
hawkeye AT 4:12 PM: “Agreed.”
vamosrafa AT 9:50 PM: “So what do you guys think now??? Rafa is criticizing is performance! So have a go at Rafa too now?”
Natashao AT 9:58 PM: “Of course Rafa will criticize his game because Rafa is pure perfectionist…”
vamosrafa AT 11:28 PM: “… wrong…. where were the criticisms following most of his wins lately?…I criticized some aspects because it was clear to me…”
Hawkeye AT 11:28 PM: “Well said VR. Some don’t understand tennis or Rafa. lol not worth listening to.”
Hawkeye AT 11:41 PM: “Some can’t handle the truth VR.”
Natashao AT 6:03 AM: “Rafa has always been the biggest critic of his own game! So was Toni!…”¤¤
.
I wonder what comes next: “agreed” or “not worth listening to”. ❓
Does it really matter? 🙂
We are here to express our opinions, our hopes and our WISHES! It’s called CHEERING for our favorite player! Those here who claim they are experts in tennis are being pretentious and unrealistic. What I know is that I like this site because of giving Rafa support and trust in his comeback! Criticism of Rafa’s game is all over the place on Nole’ s sites or Fedfan owned sites. If I wanted to see it I woulg go to those sites!
The Grandstand I love for Ricky and the Rafans here and it will stay that way! I also very much appreciate finding all the Rafa related news here so that I do not need to search the web to look for it as I don’t have a lot of time for it!
If someone overcriticize Rafa as NNY tends to do I will read it but I don’t really care. It’s just an opinion of another Rafan. I will also tell my opinion no matter what! If someone agrees, good! If not, also good for me! All I care is Rafa and his tennis!
Natashao (AT 7:53 AM),
—All I care is Rafa and his tennis!—
===
.
Me too! 🙂
I clocked throughout the week the carefree mood in Rafa’s box since he bit on the Monte Carlo trophy. Uncle Toni has been so laid back he seemed to be barely watching and they have all been chatting and laughing together even during tense moments on big points. It’s like they all know Rafa is in a different place now. Even Xisca is with them in the box rather than sitting out of sight as she normally does.
It was particularly evident during the Fognini match when the rest of us were having collective heart attacks. lol.
I have long maintained it was possible to predict the outcome of Federer’s matches by closely observing Mirka’s body language.
Fingers crossed the Rafa clan remain relaxed for the showdown with Nishikori. It will be a bad omen if Uncle Toni starts biting his nails.
Good observation, ed about Rafa’s box! I noticed the same! Hope it stays that way! 🙂
I haven’t seen Xisca in Rafa’s box. She and female Nadals have been sitting somewhere else.
Rafa’s box:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cgy3HwgW0AA9T33.jpg
Rafa’s sister, mother and Xisca – not in Rafa’s box:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cgy2_A_WgAAeug_.jpg
BTW, it’s been a long time since Rafa won the match without dropping his serve! And yet people ended up finding holes in Rafa’s game (which there are no doubt about it!) rather than charishing his improvements! I am different than that! If I were only looking at Rafa’s weaknesses I couldn’t have stayed sane and could hardly survive all the injuries and setbacks Rafa experienced in his career!
Love you, Champ! Go get them all! Vamos!