Rafael Nadal defeats Ivan Dodig in straight sets at Barcelona
World Number 1 Rafael Nadal defeated Croatian tennis player Ivan Dodig in easy straights at the 2011 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell earlier today, undoing his opponent 6-3, 6-2 to lock a spot for himself in the title match of the
clay tournament. The match lasted just a little over one hour and twenty-five minutes.
The match was an easy one for Nadal, who is often called the King of Clay. He needed some time to get going in the beginning of the match, and Ivan Dodig was able to keep up with him easily for the first six games. However, the
Spanish top player hit his stride after that and quickly took the lead after breaking his Croatian opponent. Nadal helped his own cause by steering clear of all double faults, while his opponent committed two such mistakes. He was also broken thrice during
the match, as Nadal used his signature attacking play to defeat the player. Despite being broken once, the World Number 1 scored 83 per cent of his first serve points and took the set with a total of 63 per cent of the points played. At this point, the score-line
was 6-3 to Rafael Nadal.
The next set of the match was a very quick, as both players did not score any aces or commit any double faults. Rafael Nadal was broken just once, and quickly took revenge by break Dodig three times out of five opportunities. This
set lasted eight service and return games apiece, as Nadal won 61 per cent of the total points played in an easy effort structured to defeat the Croatian World Number 56. He took the set 6-2, ending the match with a final score-line of 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals
of Barcelona.
The World Number 1 will now proceed to the title match of the tournament against David Ferrer, after his Spanish opponent undid Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4 in his own semi-final. This is the second consecutive title match between
the two players, having met at the 2011 Monte Carlo Masters just days ago.
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