Top seed Rafael Nadal moved into the Barcelona Open semifinals on Friday with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie. The win is Rafa’s 450th in his career on a clay court. Our champ will next face the winner of Diego Schwartzman and Pablo Carreno Busta.
Rafa improved to 108-15 against fellow left-handers with 18 straight wins (41-1 in sets during the streak). On clay, he is 51-2 against lefties with 19 matches and 29 sets won in a row.
After the match, Rafa said:
“Well I played well at the beginning. Especially the first set I think I did a lot of things well. Then, I stopped myself a little bit. That’s something that cannot happen, especially tomorrow. But yeah, I need to hold the level of intensity of the first set. That I was able to change directions with my forehand to have most of the points under control, then the situation was a little bit different and that’s why I suffered later.”
Good luck Rafa. I want to see you in the final. No ifs, ands, or buts.
🤞Stefanos is waiting.
Rafa is building up nicely towards a higher level. Some great shots v Norrie but serve still not up to its best. He hit the practice court after his match! I watched Pablo v Diego, Pablo is playing well and showed resilience in fighting back.
I have faith in Rafa and look forward to the semi finals. Go Rafa, all support. 🇪🇸🌟🍀
Rafa played well enough to win but this one was also a nail biter . Norrie was given alot of opportunities by Rafa miscues and thankfully failed to take full advantage of those opportunities . Rafa must cut down on the unforced errors and many of the forced ones as well . Rafa also needs to get the service game back as too often he is faced with having to save break points because of poor 1sr serve percentage and double faults .
Carreno Busta is a formidable opponent and playing very well .Rafa must play his highest level of tennis to win this match .
Its probably a break for Rafa that he avoids Diego. Carreno Busta can be tough to beat though.
Go Rafa! Good luck!
Wow PCB won the last 4 games of the match!👏
Congrats to PCB but I thought Diego “had it in the bag.” I cannot believe he lost that match being so close to winning the decider. Geezzz Diego!
Yes, I was getting ready for a Rafa vs Diego match although I prefer PCB. Diego is a tougher opponent lol.
You know yourself Rafa. I see the wheels churning as you reset yourself for the next ball. Good.A little less let down each match, a little more grit. Your body and mind are beginning to speak to each other in a positive manner. It shows!!!! On to the next …..more positive each time. Vamos!!!!
great thanks RAFA
Best match on clay so far. Keep it up champ and all the best for tomorrow. Vamos Rafa❤️
Don’t make expectations about Rafa just yet…I truly believe that he is just getting better n better with each match as he is always been a player in the past who would sharpen his game with matchplay…. Roland Harris n Italian open is where he will reach his best level…Vamos Rafa
A step in the right direction. It’s hope more than expectation, as Rafa looks to peak at Roland Garros.
Lorna That’s my point… Everytime from last 5 years He step up when He enters his Fav Court…That will do for us Rafa fans When he bites his 14th RG Trophy…Btw don’t know about you but I don’t watch Tennis for 3 days when Rafa loses…silly me😁😁😁
Edging ever closer….Well done to Rafa – much more control of the points and better serving stats. This win should give him more confidence going into the semi final.
Finally Rafa won a match in straight sets in Barcelona, slowly and surely he has improved match by match!🤗
Good luck the rest of the tournament, Rafa.🍀💪❤️
Congrats Rafa, hope you play even better tomorrow in the SF and gets to the final!
Congrats to Rafa for getting thru on straight sets!
Must feel like a vacation compared to the last couple of days.