Nishikori beats Gulbis to reach Barcelona final
published : 26 Apr 2014 at 20:49
writer: AFP
Japan's Kei Nishikori reached his second ATP final of the season with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Latvian Ernests Gulbis at the Barcelona Open on Saturday.
Japanese player Kei Nishikori returns a ball to Latvian player Ernests Gulbis during the ATP Barcelona Open "Conde de Godo" tournament in Barcelona on April 26, 2014
Nishikori, playing for the first time on clay under new coach and former French Open champion Michael Chang, was dominant on serve throughout and never faced a break point on his way to sealing victory in one hour 25 minutes.
The world number 17 will face Spaniard Nicolas Almagro or Colombian Santiago Giraldo in Sunday's final after Almagro stunned Rafael Nadal 2-6, 7-6 (7/5) 6-4 in the quarter-finals on Friday.
World number one Nadal, an eight-time Barcelona champion, suffered his first defeat in the Catalan capital since 2003.
