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By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, April 24, 2015

 
Kei Nishikori

Defending champion Kei Nishikori beat Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, to reach the Barcelona semifinals for the second straight year.

Photo credit: Manuel Queimadelos/Barcelona Open BancSabadell

Kei Nishikori is a formidable front-runner. When he saw the finish line today, he sprinted right through it.

The top seeded Nishikori won 16 of the last 17 points dispatching Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, to advance to the Barelona semifinals for the second straight year.

More: Fognini Upsets Nadal Again in Barcelona

The reigning Barcelona champion won his eighth straight match at the ATP 500-level tournament.

A near-flawless Nishikori served 84 percent and won 16 of 19 points played on his serve in cruising through the opening set. 

Nishikori's service percentage dropped to just 41 percent in the second set. The seventh-seeded Bautista Agut broke for the first time for a 4-2 second-set lead and made it stand to force the decider.

Dominating the third set, Nishikori won 16 of 18 points played on his serve in the decider.

Stepping inside the baseline to pound his crosscourt forehand to his opponent's forehand, Nishikori drew an errant forehand down the line, breaking at 15 for 3-1. He opened the fifth game with his fifth ace of the day and consolidated the breat at love for 4-1.

The depth of Nishikori's shots forced Bautista Agut into defensive positions behind the baseline. The Spaniard netted a backhand and bounced his court to frustration dropping serve at love to fall behind 5-1.

Nishikori raised his record to 19-1 when he's the No. 1 seed at a tournament, including championship runs in 2014-15 Memphis, 2014 Kuala Lumpur and a runner-up finish at Acapulco in February when he fell to David Ferrer.


The third-seeded Ferrer fought off No. 12 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-3, 7-6 (5), in the quarterfinals. Ferrer raised his record to 26-4, including a 9-1 mark on clay. Four-time Barcelona finalist Ferrer will take on either Fabio Fognini, who upset eight-time champion Rafael Nadal on Thursday, or compatriot Pablo Andujar in the semifinals.


The fifth-ranked Nishikori will play 14th-seeded Martin Klizan for a spot in Sunday's final. Klizan did not drop serve defeating ninth-seeded Tommy Robredo, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in today's 97-minute second quarterfinal.Klizan beat Nishikori in straight sets in their lone prior meeting at the 2014 Roland Garros.

 

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