Kei Nishikori will defend his last year’s title in tomorrow’s final at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell after sweeping aside Martin Klizan with 6-1 6-2
Nishikori won 21 of the first 27 points to cruise to a 5-0 lead in just 20 minutes but hewent down 15-40 had to save four break points in the next game. Nishikori closed out the first set with a backhand.
The second set started with a very long game but Nishikori reeled off five games in a row. He broke serve for the second time in the second set to wrap up the match in 1 hour and 17 minutes.
Nishikori fended off all six break points he faced and hit 25 winners against Klizan, who upset the Japnaese star last year in their only previous head-to-head match at the Roland Garros last year.
This year Nishikori won one title in Memphis and finished runner-up in Acapulco. He will be bidding to win his seventh career title.
Nishikori enjoyed a nearly perfect week in which he dropped just one set against Roberto Bautista Agut and lost just nine games
“I am really excited to come into the final again here. I played a really solid match today, everything was perfect. I am really happy with the way I am playing”, said Nishikori
Nishikori will face Spaniard Pablo Andujar who upset David Ferrer in the second semifinal with 7-6 (8-6) 6-3.
Ferrer got an early break in the first set and opened up a 3-0 lead. Andujar trailed 1-4 but he broke back in the seventh game. Andujar took the 6-5 lead but he failed to convert his two set points.
Andujar, who beat Nadal’s conqueror Fabio Fognini in the quarter final, came back from 2-6 down in the tie-break to clinch the tie-break 8-6 points. He took this momentum into the 2nd set as he jumped out to a 3-0 lead and maintained the lone break of the set Andujar double faulted on the first match point and sent his cross-court backhand long on the second but he converted on his third opportunity to take the match and face Nishikori for the title
