Rafael Nadal rallies to stay on course in Barcelona, but Dominic Thiem crashes out
BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 27: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates his victory against Martin Klizan of Slovakia in their match during day five of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on April 27, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal remains on course to win a second clay title in two weeks after rallying to overcome Martin Klizan in Barcelona.
Nadal stretched his clay streak to 17 straight wins and 42 successive sets, although he needed to dig deep to fend off Klizen, who had three set points in the second.
However, Nadal showed his mettle to claim a 6-2 7-5 win and set up a semi-final clash with David Goffin.
Elsewhere, Dominic Thiem was upset by rising Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, who collected the biggest win of his career with a 6-3 6-2 win over the in-form Austrian.
He’s face Pablo Carreno Busta in the last four after he ended Grigor Dimitrov’s campaign 6-3 7-6.
