Rafael Nadal progressed to the final of the Barcelona Open for the 12th time, defeating fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday.
I am thrilled to be back in a final here at a historic event, a home event [and] an important one for me,” said Nadal. “I think I did things well today, better than the other days. I have been improving every single day a little bit more.
Nadal owns a combined 23-1 record in Barcelona semi-final and final matches. The Spaniard’s only loss in Barcelona after reaching the final four came in 2019, when he fell to eventual champion Dominic Thiem.
The No. 1 seed, Nadal will play No. 2 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in Sunday's final. Tsitsipas was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Jannik Sinner of Italy, the 11th seed.