Barcelona Open: Nadal suffers wrist injury during training FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. After a shaky display in the second round against Leonardo Mayer, Nadal was far better from the outset against Ferrer and he broke his compatriot in the sixth game of the match to take a 4-2 lead. Play was then halted for 45 minutes at 5-3 to Nadal due to rain but upon resumption, the top seed won the first set with a forehand winner. Nadal broke Ferrer to start the second set but the 37-year-old, who was played for the final time in Barcelona, hit back to level the set at 2-2. However, Nadal was not to be denied and he won four of the last five games to win the match and seal his place in the last eight. Rafael Nadal: FRESH wrist injury fears for Spanish ace Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer 6-3 6-3 RAFAEL NADAL VS DAVID FERRER LIVE SECOND SET Nadal 6-3 6-3 Ferrer* A fourth double fault from Ferrer, 0-30. Double fault no 5, 15-40. Two match points. Ferrer saves both with gusty play. Third match point for Nadal as he puts a forehand winner on the line but he nets a backhand return. Fourth match points for Nadal after another forehand winner, this time down the line. GAME. SET. MATCH. Nadal gets victory as Ferrer puts a forehand into the net. *Nadal 6-3 5-3 Ferrer Nadal holds serve to 15 after play gets back underway. He’s one game away from booking his place in another Barcelona quarter-final. 16:24: Play resumes after a brief delay. 16:20: Another day as rain falls again in Barcelona. The players are being kept on the court at the moment. Nadal 6-3 4-3 Ferrer* Ferrer keeps himself in the set as he holds to 15. David Ferrer in action against Rafael Nadal *Nadal 6-3 4-2 Ferrer Ferrer has lost none of his foot speed and he hustles to stay in the point and force the error from Nadal, 30-15. Ferrer backhand return winner down the line, 30-30. Lovely. But Nadal holds on to consolidate the break. Nadal 6-3 3-2 Ferrer* Ferrer double fault, 15-30. And he goes long with a backhand to hand Nadal a break point, 30-40. Fortune for Ferrer as Nadal goes long with the return. Second break point chance for Nadal after Ferrer goes well long. But he responds with a forehand winner. Third break point chance as Ferrer nets a backhand. And he then puts a backhand half-volley into the net to drop serve again. *Nadal 6-3 2-2 Ferrer Nadal goes long with a forehand, 15-30. Then Ferrer takes control of the rally and puts away a backhand cross court. Two break points. And Ferrer gets back on serve as he goes hard to Nadal’s forehand and forces the error. Nadal 6-3 2-1 Ferrer* Ferrer holds to love as Nadal nets a backhand. Rafael Nadal says he is ready to defend Barcelona title *Nadal 6-3 2-0 Ferrer Nadal goes long with back-to-back forehands and Ferrer has two break back points. But Nadal cancels them both out by upping the aggression. And he backs up the break as Ferrer nets a backhand. Nadal 6-3 1-0 Ferrer* Great pick up from Nadal to start the game, 0-15. And a backhand winner makes it, 0-30. Ferrer then goes long with a forehand and it’s three break points. Ferrer saves the first two but he nets a backhand to give Nadal the ideal start to the set. FIRST SET *Nadal 6-3 Ferrer Ferrer goes long with a return on the first point. But he responds with great defence as he’s dragged all over the court and finishes with a forehand at the net, 15-15. Ferrer nets a backhand and it’s two set points. Ferrer saves the first after a net cord goes in his favour and he finishes the point off. But Nadal isn’t denied much longer as he gets the first set with a forehand winner into the open court. 15:30: GOOD NEWS! The players are back on the court as the rain has stopped. Five-minute warm-up taking place. When play resumes Nadal will be serving for the set. 15:20: Rain continues to fall on Pista Rafa Nadal stadium. But the forecast is for the rain to stop soon. 15:00: Earlier today, Daniil Medvedev and Kei Nishikori reached the quarter-finals with comfortable wins over Mackenzie McDonald and Felix Auger-Aliassime respectively. 14:50: PLAY SUSPENDED - Rain in Barcelona has led to the match being temporarily suspended. Don't think it will last too long so stay with us. Rafael Nadal in action against David Ferrer Nadal 5-3 Ferrer* Lovely drop shot from Ferrer leaves Nadal motionless, 30-0. And he serves out comfortably to force Nadal to serve for the set. Short delay as rain falls on Pista Rafa Nadal. *Nadal 4-2 Ferrer First signs of trouble for Ferrer as he puts a forehand wide and falls 0-30 down. Break point for Nadal as Ferrer's forehand goes wide. Nadal return long, deuce. Second break point for Nadal and he gets the first break of the match when Ferrer’s backhand just misses the line. Nadal 3-2 Ferrer* Nadal holds to 15. Playing much better than he did yesterday at this stage. Nadal 2-2 Ferrer* Ferrer races to 40-0 but a backhand long makes it 40-30. But he makes no mistakes on the next point as he steps and rifles a backhand winner down the line. Rafael Nadal hits a backhand against David Ferrer<doc-sep>BARCELONA, Spain — Rafael Nadal looked closer to his clay-court best again as he beat David Ferrer 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open. The 11-time Barcelona champion saved four of five break points and broke four times in what could have been his last meeting with Ferrer, who is retiring after the Madrid Open next month. It was a sign of improvement for Nadal, who lost in the semifinals in Monte Carlo last week and then needed three sets to get past Leonard Mayer in his opening match in Barcelona. ''This match was important for me,'' Nadal said. ''Yesterday I had a tough match. I took a step forward and was able to play with more energy.'' The top-seeded Nadal will next face either Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year's runner-up, or Jan-Lennard Struff. Nadal was up 5-3 in the first set before play was stopped for a rain delay. He continued to dictate the match when play resumed, serving out the set and breaking Ferrer's next service game. Ferrer saved three match points before finally sending a forehand into the net to give Nadal the win. The 37-year-old Ferrer was making his last appearance at the Barcelona Open and could not hold back the tears when he received an ovation from the audience. He placed his pink headband on the court as a mark that he had played his last match here. ''I am happy to be able to finish this tournament on the center court, playing against Nadal. I gave it my all,'' Ferrer said. Also, third-seeded Dominic Thiem broke Jaume Munar five times to earn a 7-5, 6-1 victory. Fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori, who won the tournament in 2014 and 2015, brushed off Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-3. Grigor Dimitrov was beaten 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) by Nicolas Jarry, who will meet Daniil Medvedev after he beat American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-2.<doc-sep>By Richard Martin BARCELONA (Reuters) - Rafael Nadal gave a much improved performance to advance into the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open on Thursday, dispatching Spanish compatriot and crowd favorite David Ferrer 6-3 6-3. Nadal will meet Jan-Lennard Struff in the last eight after the German claimed his second big scalp of the week by overcoming last year's finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 3-6 6-2 after knocking out 10th seed David Goffin the day before. Japan's Kei Nishikori eased into the last eight with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Felix Auger Aliassime and will play the only other remaining Spaniard in the tournament Roberto Carballes Baena who saw off Chilean Christian Garin in straight sets. World number two and 11-times Barcelona champion Nadal had produced a scrappy display against Leonardo Mayer on Wednesday, losing a set for the first time in four years at the tournament, but he showed more spark and composure against Ferrer. Nadal broke the 37-year-old Ferrer, who will retire from the game next month after the Madrid Open, in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead in the opener but play was halted due to rain with the score at 5-3. Nadal promptly saw out the set when play resumed and broke Ferrer in the first game of the second but then lost a service game, which made it 2-2. The Mallorcan broke again and then took a 5-3 lead, spurning three match points due to two marginal calls which left him visibly annoyed with the line judge. Nadal finally closed the match out at the fourth opportunity as Ferrer could only find the net. TRIBUTES FOR FERRER Nadal led fans in applauding Ferrer as the defeat signaled his last appearance at the Barcelona Open. "Losing to Rafa makes me proud, I'm happy with the game as I did what I could, I gave everything I had but I tip my hat to Rafa," Ferrer said. "It was difficult, I started well but the court was slower when the rain started coming down, that damaged me but I still played a competitive game." Nadal paid tribute to Ferrer, who he beat in the 2013 French Open final, and was pleased with his own display. "It's his decision but on a tennis level he doesn't have to retire, he's struggled with injuries but he is playing very well this year. After all his years fighting and giving us all joy he deserves the reception he got," Nadal said. "I had to improve on yesterday, not just the result but overall. This was important for David but for me it was important to do better and play with more energy than yesterday I did that so I can go back to my hotel feeling much happier." Chilean Nicolas Jarry, who beat highly-fancied world number three Alexander Zverev already this week, claimed another high-profile victory by beating Grigor Dimitrov 2-6 6-4 7-6(2). Jarry will face Daniil Medvedev of Russia while third seed Dominic Thiem will play against Argentine Guido Pella after the Austrian enjoyed a comfortable straight-sets win over Spaniard Jaume Munar. (Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Toby Davis)<doc-sep>Rafael Nadal vs David Ferrer LIVE STREAM FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Nadal was forced to battle past Leonardo Mayer in his opening match of the Barcelona Open on Wednesday. The 11-time champion needed three sets after an error-strewn performance which included 36 unforced errors. And the 32-year-old admitted he did not compete well enough against Mayer. "It wasn't the best start. Not the best feelings out there this afternoon, but I found a way to keep going and to win the match. Today that's the main thing," Nadal said. Rafael Nadal vs David Ferrer LIVE updates Rafael Nadal says he is ready to defend Barcelona title "[Mayer] competes well against everybody but probably today [the problem] was not that he competed very well against me. “I was not competing that well." Nadal next faces his compatriot Ferrer, who is playing in his penultimate tournament before retiring. "He's a good friend, one of the best players that we have been watching the last 15 years," Nadal said. “It's going to be a special one, and he's playing well.”<doc-sep>
Rafael Nadal gave a much improved performance to advance into the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open on Thursday, dispatching Spanish compatriot and crowd favourite David Ferrer 6-3, 6-3. The world No. 2 had produced a scrappy display against Leonardo Mayer on Wednesday, losing a set for the first time in four years at the tournament, but he showed more spark and composure against Ferrer. Nadal broke the 37-year-old Ferrer, who will retire from the game next month after the Madrid Open, in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead in the opener but play was halted due to rain with the score at 5-3. Nadal promptly saw out the set when play resumed and broke Ferrer in the first game of the second but then lost a service game, which made it 2-2. The Mallorcan broke again and then took a 5-3 lead, spurning three match points due to two marginal calls which left him visibly annoyed with the line judge. Nadal finally closed the match out at the fourth opportunity as Ferrer could only find the net. Nadal led fans in applauding Ferrer as the defeat signalled his last appearance at the Barcelona Open. "Losing to Rafa makes me proud, I'm happy with the game as I did what I could, I gave everything I had but I tip my hat to Rafa," Ferrer said. Rafael Nadal improved his record against fellow Spaniard David Ferrer to 26-6. Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images "It was difficult, I started well but the court was slower when the rain started coming down, that damaged me but I still played a competitive game." Nadal paid tribute to Ferrer, who he beat in the 2013 French Open final, and was pleased with his own display. "It's his decision but on a tennis level he doesn't have to retire, he's struggled with injuries but he is playing very well this year. After all his years fighting and giving us all joy he deserves the reception he got," Nadal said. "I had to improve on yesterday, not just the result but overall. This was important for David but for me it was important to do better and play with more energy than yesterday I did that so I can go back to my hotel feeling much happier." Nadal will face Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarterfinals after the German upset No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets. Struff, who defeated No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev on Wednesday, hit 31 winners as he won 6-4, 3-6 6-1 in one hour, 51 minutes. Elsewhere, No. 3 seed Dominic Thiem advanced thanks to a 7-5, 6-1 win over Jaume Munar, while fourth seed Kei Nishikori also progressed with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. Daniil Medvedev beat American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-2, Nicolas Jarry won a final-set tiebreak to defeat Grigor Dimitrov 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2), and Roberto Carballes Baena won 6-4, 7-6 (2) against Christian Garin.