Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Barcelona Open for the ninth time by beating German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 6-3 on Saturday.
The world number five set up a final meeting with defending champion, Kei Nishikori, after the Japanese ousted Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-3 6-2.
Nadal is on course to equal former Argentine great, Guillermo Vilas’ record of 49 titles on clay if he wins on Sunday.
“Today I played my worst game of the tournament. I don’t like the way I played because I committed too many errors,” said Nadal.
“I messed up my backhands but it was also important I only conceded one break point in the whole game, that’s the most positive thing.”
Nadal, who won the Monte Carlo Masters crown last week, felt the accumulation of games affected his performance against Kohlschreiber.
“I’ve been competing for two weeks in a row and it’s normal for me to have a bad day. I hope that tomorrow I can do better,” he added.
“This means I’m doing well and that every day I have found solutions to keep winning.”
Nadal has won the Barcelona Open eight times since 2005, last lifting the trophy in 2013.
