Rafael Nadal's hopes of claiming a ninth Barcelona Open title have been thwarted following a 6-4 7-6(6) defeat to Fabio Fognini in the third round.

It was a tight affair between the two players in the first set, and it wasn't until the 10th game that a breakthrough was made on the clay surface.

Fognini was the one to grab a crucial break point to take the first set, but he was put on the back foot in the second set when Nadal went a break up on his seventh chance in a tough opening game.

The Spaniard's momentum was dashed instantly when Fognini broke back, but Nadal responded in similar fashion to give himself a 2-1 lead.

Despite appearing to get himself back into the game, Nadal, who had only lost one match in this tournament before, suffered a double break as Fognini took a stronghold of the contest and sent it to a tie-break.

Despite Fognini taking a tumble towards the end of the set, the Italian was able to see through the decider 8-6 to reach the final eight.