Nadal Reaches Barcelona Open Final With 400th Win on Clay
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Rafael Nadal defeated David Goffin 6-4, 6-0 for his 400th career win on clay on Saturday, reaching the Barcelona Open final for the 11th time.
The top-ranked Spaniard will face 19-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas, the first Greek player to make it to an ATP Tour final in 45 years. He defeated fifth-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 7-5, 6-3.
Nadal was broken early in the first set by the 10th-ranked Goffin but quickly took control of the match to earn his 18th straight victory on clay.
He has won 44 consecutive sets on the surface, extending his own record.
Nadal is fourth in the list of all-time winners on clay in the Open era. Guillermo Vilas of Argentina is at the top with 659 wins, ahead of Manuel Orantes of Spain (502) and Thomas Muster of Austria (422).
With a record of 400-35, Nadal has the best ever winning percentage on the surface. He has won a record 54 titles on the dirt.
Nadal needs to win his 11th Barcelona title on Sunday to retain his No. 1 ranking. He won his 11th Monte Carlo Masters last week.
Tsitsipas, No. 63 in the world, is the youngest finalist in Barcelona since 2005. He is trying to become the first unseeded champion in the tournament since Gaston Gaudio in 2002.
A Greek hadn't made it to a final since Nicholas Kalogeropoulos in 1973.
