BARCELONA: Rafael Nadal beat Kei Nishikori 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 Thursday to advance to the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open.

The 11-time tournament champion looked ready to roll to a quick victory after dominating the first set, but Nishikori responded with some fine net play to level it at 1-1.

Nadal broke Nishikori twice in the decisive set, converting his second match point by driving a forehand winner down the line.

The top-seeded Nadal is still searching for his best tennis after being upset in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals by Andrey Rublev. He needed three sets to beat 111th-ranked Ilya Ivashka of Belarus in his first match in Barcelona on Wednesday.

“I didn’t play a lot last year so I know that I will struggle,” Nadal said. “I have been improving and I’m on the right path. I know the process. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

Nadal will face Britain’s Cameron Norrie next. Norrie advanced after David Goffin retired in the second set of their match due to injury.

Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, the champion in Monte Carlo, eased into the last-eight with a 7-5, 6-3 victory Australian 14th seed Alex de Minaur.

Tsitsipas next faces 11th seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime who got the better of compatriot Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-3.

Russian third seed Rublev, the runner-up to Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo, claimed a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 victory over Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas in two and a half hours.

Rublev, who has a tour-leading 26 wins in 2021, fired 35 winners past the Spanish clay-courter.

He has an intriguing quarter-final against red-hot Italian teenager and 11th seed Jannik Sinner who beat fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (11-9), 6-2.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2021