What's a quarterfinal amongst friends? Pals Nishikori, Dolgopolov to meet in Barcelona

BARCELONA, Spain—Kei Nishikori moved into the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open on Thursday with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jeremy Chardy. Around the same time, with nearly an identical score, Alexandr Dolgopolov saw off rising teenager Karen Khachanov, 6-4, 7-5.

The two will face off on Friday for a spot in the semifinals. Nishikori is the two-time defending champion in Barcelona, so he’s going into Friday’s meeting with a 12-match tournament winning streak. The Japanese star also leads the head to head against Dolgpolov 4-0, most recently beating the Ukrainian, 6-2, 6-2, in the third round of the Miami Open.

“I’m really happy with my game today,” Dolgopolov, who saved a match point, said after his 4-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4 win over Evgeny Donskoy. “I think I was playing better than the first round. The first round I struggled. I was really lucky to get through.”

Dolgopolov insists that his losing streak against Nishikori isn’t in his head.

“It’s a new match,” he said. “So you have a chance every match you play, even if you’re 0-20.”

Nishikori knows not to underestimate the world No. 30. Not only is he a crafty player, but the two have history.

“He’s [a] very tricky player,” Nishikori said. “He uses a lot of slice and has a great serve. We play doubles sometimes, and we are good friends, so it’s not easy to play [him].”

The two go way back to their junior days, where they first played doubles together. They’ve also dabbled in doubles together on the professional level, reaching the final in Brisbane last year.

“We practiced this week, too,” Nishikori said. “I think we both know how we play. It’s important to stay focused.”

In a way, Barcelona has become a second home for the world No. 6—two straight titles will do that for a player. The comfort he feels here really says something, considering the first language is Spanish. (Even the score is called out in Spanish first). Everything from the door signs to the menus is completely foreign for a man who had to learn English as a second language.

While the fans clamor for their homegrown hero, Rafael Nadal, they haven’t forgotten about Nishikori. In 2014, he became the first non-Spanish-speaking player since Marat Safin in 2000 to win the title in Barcelona.

“These two years have been great—[It’s] not easy to win this title,” Nishikori said. “I know many great players are playing this tournament. All the Spanish [players] are playing. I know how tough it is to win this tournament … I like the country. I love this city. I feel very warm here, and people are very nice. It’s really comfortable playing here.”