Rafael Nadal cruises past Janko Tipsarevic into the last four – Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2012
Defending champion, Rafael Nadal, bulldozed fifth seed, Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, in twin sets 6-2, 6-2 in the quarter-final at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Friday.
Seeded first at this tournament in the absence of Djokovic, the Spaniard took just an hour and 23 minutes to topple Tipsarevic.
Nadal made the ideal start, as he broke the Serbian in the very first game of the match and consolidated on it to attain a 2-0 advantage. The world number two went on to stretch his lead to 4-0 and capitalised on the double strike
to claim it 6-2.
The Spaniard smashed in one ace and the same number of double fault in the opener. He banged in 63 percent of the first deliveries, snatching 13 of the 17 points on them. The left-hander gave an average performance on the second
serves and first returns, as he won just five of the 10 and four of the 18 points on them respectively. However, the Spaniard was almost flawless on the second replies, converting 11 of the 13 of them into points.
Just like the first set, Nadal hit a blow to Tipsarevic in the opening game of the second, holding his following serve to go up 2-0. However, the Serbian bounced back this time to square off the score at 2-2. Nadal, who was is
extreme form, captured four games in a row after that, sealing it 6-2.
A jubilant Nadal shared in the post match press conference, "I felt well. I played a very good match, better than yesterday. Very happy to be back in the semi-finals. You cannot expect an easy match against the No. 8 in the world.”
The Spaniard has won 33 of the 34 matches he has played during his career so far at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The Mallorca, Spain resident is a six-time former champion at this event.
Nadal said, “I have a lot of confidence from my past results here but it doesn't mean it will continue that way. Each match is different. I go on court and try my best in every moment and hope it goes well for me."
The Spaniard will face compatriot, Fernando Verdasco, in the semi-final.
Expecting a tough contest against Verdasco, Nadal said, "Verdasco is playing well so it will be a difficult match. I must try to be aggressive to win. You cannot expect easy wins, but this result is pretty good against Janko."
10-time Grand Slam champion, Nadal, has an amazing record against his countryman, winning all the 12 past meetings between them.
Tags: