Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to his compatriot David Ferrer during their quarter-final match at the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco April 17, 2015. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal's bid to get back to top form before the French Open suffered a setback when he crashed to a 6-4 7-6(6) defeat to 13th-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini in the third round of the Barcelona Open on Thursday.
Nadal, the world number four and second seed, produced an erratic performance on the clay in the Catalan capital and the big-hitting Fognini punished the Spaniard's errors to scupper Nadal's bid for a ninth Barcelona title.
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