Story highlights
Rafael Nadal wins Barcelona Open title
Straights sets win over fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in final
Extends record to eight titles in Catalan city
Lukas Rosol claims maiden ATP title in Bucharest
Rafael Nadal saw his incredible winning run at Monte Carlo ended last week but made no mistake Sunday in wrapping up his eighth Barcelona Open crown.
Fellow Spaniard and fourth seed Nicolas Almagro was Nadal’s victim as he clinched his 39th career title on clay with a 6-4 6-3 victory.
Almagro, beaten in his nine previous matches with Nadal, took an early lead with a double break in the first set, but could not hold his advantage.
Nadal was as relentless as ever on his favorite surface and needed only one hour 32 minutes to complete victory.
“This has been an important week for me. To win here again is a great joy after everything I’ve been through,” Nadal told the crowd after his victory.
“It was a fantastic match for me.”
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Since returning to the ATP Tour following a seven-month injury layoff, he has reached the final in all six of the tournaments he has entered and won four of them, the first man to reach that mark this season.
His Barcelona triumph, making it 39 straight wins in the Catalan capital, has been added to titles in Sao Paulo, Acapulco and the hard courts at Indian Wells.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic denied Nadal a ninth straight title in Monte Carlo but sat out the Barcelona event.
The pair are set to lock horns again at the Madrid Masters which starts next weekend as the build-up continues to next month’s French Open where Nadal will be defending his crown.
In other ATP final action Sunday, Lukas Rosol, who stunned Nadal in the second round at Wimbledon last year, claimed his first career title in emotional fashion.
The Czech beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3 6-2 in the Bucharest final and dedicated his victory to his father, who sadly passed away 10 days ago.
