Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal has won the Barcelona Open eight times in the last nine years. Reuters

World No 1, Rafael Nadal faces World No 37, Ivan Dodig in the third round of the 2014 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell at the Pista Central, Spain, on Thursday.

Where to Watch Live

The match is scheduled to begin at 6pm BST. Live coverage will be on Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports 3 HD. Real-time internet updates and the live streaming link are available on ATP's official website.

Overview

Nadal began the quest towards his ninth Barcelona Open crown after registering a hard-fought victory over his compatriot, Albert Ramos in the second round on Wednesday.

The defending champion was made to sweat for over an hour in the first set before eventually beating the 103<sup>rd ranked Spaniard, 7-6 (2), in the tiebreaker. Nadal went through a relatively easier second set where he triumphed, 6-4, to progress into the third round.

The 27-year-old had received a bye in the first round courtesy of being one of the top seeds in the tournament. Nadal's form has taken a dip in recent weeks which saw him get knocked out of the 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters at the quarterfinal stage for the first time in 10 years.

Meanwhile, Dodig sealed his place among the last-16 after defeating Feliciano Lopez in the previous round. The 29-year-old Croatian needed only 61 minutes to send the 13<sup>th seed packing from the tournament, 6-1, 6-4, in straight sets.

The winner of this clash will face the winner between sixth seed, Nicolas Almagro and 11<sup>th seed Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Head-to-Head

Nadal holds a 2-1 lead over Dodig in overall meetings. The pair have clashed once in a Grand Slam event where the Spaniard registered a convincing straight set victory.

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell History

Nadal has faced Dodig once in the Barcelona Open and the World No 1 achieved a comfortable victory in straight sets on that occasion.

Rafael Nadal