Nadal demolishes Nishikori to set up semi-final showdown with Federer

Rafael Nadal continues his march towards a record-extending 12th French Open title by defeating Kei Nishikori 6-1 6-1 6-3 to ensure his place in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

“Being honest, personally for me the main thing is being in the semi-final. The way that I have been playing has been, being honest, very positive. I have been playing well, very solid,” said Nadal, who is all ready for Friday.

Playing on the back of two consecutive five-set matches, Nishikori never manages to mount any form of a challenge and was easily wiped off court by Nadal.

The second seed, who now has a 91-2 win-loss record at the clay court Grand Slam, was barely challenged by the seventh-seeded Nishikori as he set up a mouthwatering last four meetings with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.

Considering Nishikori had a 0-4 win-loss record against Nadal on clay, his chances of narrowing that run on Tuesday were slim – and so it proved to be. Nishikori broke back for 1-1 but that effort proved to be his undoing as Nadal won the remaining five games to lead two sets to love.

“Of course after having Roger in front in the semi-finals is an extra thing. We shared the most important moments of our careers together on court facing each other. So it is another episode of this, and I am happy for that and excited, no? It will be a special moment, and let’s try to be ready for it,” said Nadal.