Thiem beats Nadal in Barcelona semis

Semi final day in Barcelona.

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell - an ATP 500 category tournament, on Red Clay, in Barcelona, Spain, 22-28 April 2019.

Defending champion:

Rafa Nadal (1) who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-1

- Rafa Nadal (1) v Dominic Thiem (3)

Of the eleven times the two had met previously (all on clay except the last one), Nadal was 8-3. They played each other on four occasions last year, Nadal successful three times.

The Spaniard served first, and after a double fault held easily, two backhand cross court winners telling. Thiem was equally solid, keeping the ball in play and allowing Nadal to contribute errors, before sealing the deal with an ace. Nadal held for 2-1, again a double fault the only point surrendered. Thiem levelled, then had Nadal 0-40, following a double fault, and a pair of errors, one off each wing. 

Two break points were saved, but a fourth Spanish double fault gifted the break to Thiem who led 3-2.

A love game, beginning with a masterly drop shot, was the perfect consolidation for the Austrian and he extended the advantage to 4-2. Nadal was then stuck at the service line for 18 points, taken to six deuces, and forced to save four break points. He scraped through and stayed in touch with the third seed. Down 15-30, Thiem produced a volley, and two winners, an off forehand cross court, and a forehand down the line, to wrap up the eighth game and put pressure on Nadal to hold serve and stay in the set.

The top seed performed his duty, treating the crowd to a delightful drop shot in the process. A forehand winner completed the job, and Thiem went to the line at 5-4. 

Thiem jumped out to 40-0, assembling three set points. Two based on Nadal mistakes, the third an ace. Nadal saved one with a stunning forehand winner. The next point was finished by a Thiem forehand winner and he took the set 6-4.

Nadal found himself down 15-40 in the opening game of set two, one forehand return from Thiem a clean winner, and a Nadal double fault not pretty. To the top seeds credit, he fought off the break points with a big serve and a forehand winner. The serve was held with another forehand winner clinching the important game.

Both players were taken to deuce in the next two games, but no break points faced. The fourth game was simpler, Thiem dropping only a single point to level at 2-2, a drop shot and attacking forehand prominent.

Two more break chances came the way of Thiem in the fifth game, and he used the second of these to lead 3-2. As he had done in set one, Thiem served a love game to consolidate the break and lead 4-2.

Nadal avoided a break point in the seventh game and eventually Thiem served for the match at 6-4 5-4.

Until now, Thiem had not faced a break point in the match. In this game he was 0-40 and faced three. He batted off all of them, the third with an ace.

Dominic Thiem defeated Rafa Nadal 6-4 6-4. This broke a run of 18 straight wins in Barcelona for Nadal. His last defeat was in the third round 2015.

- Daniil Medvedev (7) defeated Kei Nishikori (4) 6-4 3-6 7-5, and will play Dominic Thiem in the final.