Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2016: Saturday Tennis Scores, Latest Schedule

Kei Nishikori and Rafael Nadal will meet in the final of the 2016 Barcelona Open after making quick work of their semi-final matches on Saturday.

Nishikori blew past mercurial Frenchman Benoit Paire in straight sets before Nadal did the same against German Philipp Kohlschreiber, albeit taking a little longer.

Nadal will now attempt to a win a ninth title in Barcelona, while Nishikori will be trying to defend the prize he's claimed each of the last two years.

Here are the full scores from Saturday's matches:

Match	Score
(2) Kei Nishikori vs. (6) Benoit Paire	6-3, 6-2
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (10) Philipp Kohlschreiber	6-3, 6-3

To access the schedule for this year’s Barcelona Open, visit the ATP's official website.

Recap

Nadal staked himself into a quick one-game lead, despite Kohlschreiber emphatically rejecting the opening serve of the match. Yet after holding serve, Nadal couldn't break it in the second game, and the pattern seemed to be established for a tight first set.

But Nadal broke serve when he was 3-2 up to create some genuine distance for the first time. Back on serve, the Spaniard roared through the next game to go on the brink of claiming the opening set.

Nadal eventually took the set after withstanding a rare break from the German.

But Kohlschreiber hit back early in the next set with some fine play, relayed by TennisTV:

Although he made things difficult, the German struggled to handle Nadal's power, as the Spaniard turned the clock back with some awesome shots, including this one with the score even in the second:

Shots like this helped Nadal stay strong, and he wrapped up the match in just over 90 minutes.

Earlier, Nishikori made fast work of seeing off Paire on Centre Court. In fact, ATP Media Info detailed exactly how brief this semi-final proved to be:

Nishikori's dominance was built on a series of impressive shots, including this one from late in the second set, relayed by TennisTV:

He was also strong on first serve, winning 25 of 34 points during the opening set, according to ATPWorldTour.com. But it wasn't just during his service game that Nishikori thrived.

The No. 2 seed at the tournament also broke serve with regularity. Nishikori converted 56 per cent of his break points, taking five of the nine he contested during the match.

Yet, despite his opponent's assurance in both phases, Paire produced some thrilling tennis of his own. In particular, he won an exciting rally when on the brink of defeat, after setting Nishikori up with a tantalising drop shot.

Once the Japanese player stumbled, he was helpless to answer Paire's unorthodox finish, as shown by TennisTV:

Truthfully, though, Nishikori was rarely threatened.

Now he's booked his place in the final, the 26-year-old will focus on bettering his tough record against Nadal, particularly on this surface, per ATP Media Info:

On this sort of form, though, Nishikori will present a major challenge to Nadal in this final. But the latter has also offered an ominous reminder that he's still a force to be reckoned with.