Rafael Nadal won his 35th career title and fifth in a row at the Barcelona Open here on Sunday as the number one pounded fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
The victory comes on the back of Nadal securing five consecutive Monte Carlo titles a week ago as the 22-year-old’s clay dominance shows no signs of slowing ahead of the French Open and a possible fifth there as well.
Nadal’s title triumph was a re-run of the 2008 edition, where he also beat Ferrer and marks the fourth all-Spanish Barcelona final in the past five years.
Nadal becomes the seventh consecutive home champion at the Real club.
The top seed did suffer a minor blemish as he lost his first three service games of the week, the second set being more competitive as the first four games went against the server.
But once he gathered himself together, the mighty Nadal finally secured a break for 6-5 and served out victory in one and three quarter hours on his second match point.
Nadal will have no time to celebrate as he heads directly for the Rome Masters which begins on Monday. A year ago, a patently exhausted Nadal lost in his opening second round match to Juan Carlos Ferrero. – AFP
