Barcelona, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - Top seed and defending champion Kei Nishikori needed three sets to win his quarterfinal match Friday at the $2.1 million Barcelona Open tennis event.
The 2014 U.S. Open runner-up from Japan got past seventh-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 on the red clay at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
Nishikori beat Colombian Santiago Giraldo in last year's Barcelona final and also topped the South American in a third-round match here on Thursday.
Nishikori's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be ninth-seeded Tommy Robredo or 14th-seeded Slovak Martin Klizan. The Spanish veteran Robredo titled here in 2004 and was the Barcelona runner-up in 2006.
This week's champion will collect $495,000.
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