The odds were stacked heavily against Nicolas Almagro heading into his quarterfinal match against world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in Barcelona.  Almagro had lost all 10 of the previous encounters between the two Spaniards, as well as their last 11 sets.  Most of those matches had come on the clay where Nadal has dominated, Almagro having claimed just one set on that surface.  An eight-time champion in Barcelona, Nadal had not lost there since 2003.

A dismal first set from Almagro's perspective seemed to confirm those expectations of a routine Nadal win.  Almagro held serve only once in four service games, more than compensating for any satisfaction that he gained from breaking Nadal's serve.  After that 6-2 set for Nadal, the outlook grew even grimmer for the underdog.  Not since 2007 had Nadal lost a match on red clay after winning the first set, a span during which he has registered 153 consecutive victories from that position.

But Almagro would not concede an 11th straight defeat to his legendary compatriot so easily.  He saved all five break points that he faced in the second set, which reached a tiebreak.  For his part, Nadal did not face a break point throughout the set, losing eight total points in his six service games. Despite his more precarious holds, however, Almagro seized the initiative in the second-set tiebreak to even the match.

A wild final set awaited, featuring five breaks and plenty of edgy moments from both men.  Defyting the history between the two men, the 20th-ranked Almagro converted his opportunities more efficiently.  He won all but one of Nadal's second-serve points and over half of the total points on the world No. 1's serve.  Nadal earned plenty of chances himself but could capitalize on only two of seven break points.  After two hours and 47 minutes, Almagro closed out his stunning comeback with a 6-4 final set.

The loss echoed Nadal's quarterfinal defeat a week before in Monte Carlo, also against a fellow Spaniard in David Ferrer.  For the first time since winning his initial Roland Garros title in 2005, Nadal fell before the semifinals at consecutive tournaments on the European red clay that he relishes.  He had won 29 of his previous 30 quarterfinals before the loss to Ferrer, so setbacks at this stage are extremely unfamiliar for him.  With a week off next week, he will hope to rediscover his form and confidence before his home Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid.

Following up a victory over Nadal has not been easy for anyone over the last few years, but Almagro will be favored in his semifinal against the unseeded Santiago Giraldo.  In an upset-riddled Barcelona draw, Kei Nishikori has become the only top-eight seed to reach the semifinals.  He will square off with the mercurial Ernests Gulbis on Saturday in a matchup of two men more comfortable on hard courts than clay.