World number one Rafael Nadal will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori in Sunday’s Madrid Masters final after he romped past fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 6-3 on Saturday.
Tenth seed Nishikori had a much sterner test as he needed 10 match points to finally overcome David Ferrer 7-6 5-7 6-3 in nearly three hours to record his 14th straight win.
Nadal has now won 12 sets in a row in the Spanish capital as he looks for his first title of the European clay court season after suffering shock defeats in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.
“After a great match yesterday to have the confirmation today that the improvement is real is a very good news and important for me,” said the 13-time Grand Slam champion.
“I think for moments I played great tennis against an opponent that is playing really well and improving a lot.
“To be in a final here in a difficult tournament at home after losing two weeks in a row in the quarter-finals means a lot to me.”
Nadal has said consistently throughout the week that his game has been improving slowly on the clay from a poor start in Monte Carlo and underlined the importance of using his forehand to dictate the rallies more than he was in recent weeks.
“I’m playing my logical game again that I’ve always done on clay. I think I’m playing well with my forehand and defending very well. Especially when I have a short balls my forehand is dangerous again.”
Nishikori has already secured his place as the first Japanese man to make the top 10 when the latest rankings are released next week and continued his rapid rise with a gutsy performance against the world number five.
However, just like in his quarter-final win over Feliciano Lopez, Nishikori needed extensive treatment on a back injury that could hamper his chances against Nadal.
“I don’t know how I’ll feel tomorrow, I’ll have to see how I wake up,” he said.
“These two days have not been great. I cannot say too much, but hopefully I’ll be able to play another good match tomorrow.”
Nishikori has never beaten Nadal in six meetings, but the 24-year-old believes he can take inspiration from his narrow three-set defeat to the Spaniard at the Australian Open.
“I’m feeling more comfortable than before about playing Rafa, but it’s going to be a different situation on clay court. I lost to him pretty bad at the French Open last year.
“But I learned a lot of stuff from the Australian Open. I kind of know how to play to beat him.”