BARCELONA, Spain -- Top-ranked Rafael Nadal looked more like his confident self on the clay in passing Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-3, 6-3, to reach the Barcelona Open quarterfinals on Thursday. Air Max 97 Canada . Nadal was struggling with his game coming into the event and an unconvincing opening victory on Wednesday did little to calm the nerves. But Nadal looked more assured as he ousted the 37th-ranked Dodig in 83 minutes in the third round. Nadal moves on to face fellow Spanish player Nicolas Almagro in an early rematch of last seasons final, which Nadal won for his eight title at the tournament in the Catalan capital. Almagro advanced after beating Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3. Dodigs attempts to come forward were met with passing shots from Nadal, who finally broke for 3-2 after coming to the net to force Dodig into netting a return. Dodig broke right back but Nadal had found his rhythm as he forced Dodig into 15 errors in the first set, when he won the last three games for the lead. Nadal maintained his play to start the second set, when he made fewer errors and seemed to grow in confidence to break Dodig for the fourth time as he sealed the win. "Theres still some work to do but I definitely took a step forward from yesterday. I move on feeling more assured," Nadal said. "I needed this game." Earlier, fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori beat Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan 6-0, 6-4. Nishikori had been sidelined by a groin injury since beating Roger Federer four weeks ago. Russian player Teymuraz Gabashvili followed up his win over fifth-ranked David Ferrer with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over another Spaniard, Inigo Cervantes, to reach the quarterfinals. Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, Marin Cilic of Croatia, and Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany all won to advance. Air Max 97 Canada Outlet .J. Ellis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract. Buy Air Max 97 Cheap . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. http://www.airmax97canada.com/ .A caravan greeted the former Boston Red Sox pitcher at the airport and took him to a public park in Santo Domingo, where a crowd lined a 19-mile stretch of highway to catch a glimpse of him.Once at the park, Martinez went on stage accompanied by players David Ortiz and Robinson Cano as merengue music played and fireworks lit up the sky.The 2014 NBA Draft will be a historic one for Canadian basketball, with as many as seven players from Canada - three of them as high as the first round - possibly selected. In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Watch the 2014 NBA Draft on TSN, Thursday at 7pm et/4pm pt. Name: Khem BirchFrom: Montreal, QuebecPlayed: University of Nevada, Las VegasHeight: 69"Weight: 209 Position: Power Forward2013-2014 Stats: 11.5 points per game, 10.2 rebounds, 3.8 blocks Breakout Game: 15 points, 15 rebounds, 6 blocks assists in win vs. Boise State on Feb 1.Accolades: 2013-14 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, finished second in the nation in blocked shots per game.Draft Projection: Mid-late second round.Comparable NBA player: Chris Andersen Khem Birchs young basketball career has already been fuelled by some interesting decisions. Birch entered the NCAA ranks as the 11th-best high school player in the United States, and accepted a scholarship with the University of Pittsburgh. However, the Montreal native controversially left Pitt only 10 games into his freshman season. At the point of his departure, he earned a spot in the starting line up and showed glimpses of the defence and athleticism that made him a blue chip prospect. Yet after citing team issues of selfishness, he returned home to figure out his next move, which would eventually lead him to transfer to UNLV. Birch played two seasons at UNLV, his first coinciding with Toronto native Anthony Bennetts standout fresshman campaign that culminated in his first overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Air Max 97 Canada Sale. Bennett outshined Birch with his dominant play and impressive stat line, yet Birch was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year. This season with Bennett out of the picture, Birch almost doubled his scoring (7.5 ppg to 11.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg to 10.2 rpg) averaging a double-double, and again winning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honours. Despite improvement across the board Birch is very much a raw athlete, and instead of spending another year at school to work on his offensive game, he declared for the 2014 NBA Draft. Birchs strength is his defence. His 71" wingspan placed him second in the NCAA in blocked shots behind fellow Canadian Jordan Bachynski at a clip of 3.8 per game. His quickness and mobility make him a strong rim protector and help defender where his tenacity on defence cant be overlooked, tallying 1.2 steals per game. Offensively, he can run the floor and moves well without the ball, but is very limited in terms of offensive moves. His inability to create his own shot, coupled with his slight build will make it hard for him to maintain position in the low post. Quite simply, Birch will have to bulk up, which will help him on the defensive end as well. A great athlete with a high motor equals lots of upside, yet hes still a project. If an NBA team wants to develop him and help round out his game, its not a risk, but a long-term investment. It would be an interesting choice, however thats something that Birch is not averse to. 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