David Ferrer set up a potential third-round clash with Rafael Nadal by beating Lucas Pouille in straight sets at the Barcelona Open.
The 37-year-old Spaniard, who will call time on his professional tennis career in two weeks time, broke the Frenchman’s serve five times while saving four of the five break points he faced.
Ferrer broke twice for a 5-2 lead before giving one back to the 25-year-old, who is currently world-ranked 32.
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But the veteran eventually broke again by taking the 15th and final point of a marathon ninth game to clinch the opening set.
He didn’t look back and continued to dominate the second set, breaking twice more and only dropping four points on his own serve for a 6-3 6-1 scoreline.
His next opponent could be Nadal, who beat him in the 2013 French Open Final and three previous finals of the Barcelona event. But the 32-year-old must first overcome Argentina’s Leonardo Meyer in his opening match.
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