Rafael Nadal was too good for an emotional David Ferrer after a 6-3 6-3 win sealed the 11 time champion’s place in the Barcelona quarter-finals.
After a sluggish start, Nadal raced into a 6-3 6-3 win over Ferrer in what was a rain-delayed match in Barcelona to reach the last eight.
The match was Ferrer’s last in Barcelona as he will say goodbye to tennis in Madrid in a couple of weeks time after over 15 years on tour.
As for Nadal he will face the winner of Jan-Lennard Struff’s match with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
It was a slow start from the defending champion to begin with as he was failing to adapt to the slightly heavier conditions.
The world number 155 failed to convert his two break points though as he stayed with Nadal with some great court coverage and groundstrokes.
However Nadal’s power and angles were eventually too much for the grinding Ferrer as he finally earned the break in sixth game for a 4-2 lead.
A much better perspective and attitude from the 17 time grand slam champion helped him charge through the match, especially in the first set.
After the first rain delay, Nadal served out the opening set to give himself the early advantage in this third round match.
It was more of the same from Nadal in the second set as he controlled the baseline for an early break. However that didn’t last long as Ferrer continued to fight on and a sloppy game from Nadal handed the break back to the veteran.
The 37 year-old continued to show why his level of tennis can still match up to anyone on the tour as he stunned Nadal with some brilliant point construction.
Any chance you could delay your retirement, @DavidFerrer87?
We're going to miss points like this 😥#bcnopenbs pic.twitter.com/OZekqRR1Gt
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 25, 2019
But there was to be no epic comeback from the former Roland Garros finalist as two more breaks from Nadal sealed his place in the quarter-finals.
It was an emotional moment Ferrer, who played his last match in Barcelona, as he prepares to retire in a couple of weeks time in Madrid.
We're not crying, you're crying 😢@DavidFerrer87 pic.twitter.com/dyGaxls64L
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 25, 2019
However for Nadal he noticed the improvement in level after a poor performance in the previous round, “Big difference. It was a tough match in all ways yesterday. Today was a different energy, a different motivation. In general terms, for me, I needed to play with a different attitude to make a step forward, and that’s what I did today.”
The world number two will now play Jan-Lennard Struff or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last eight.
