Rafael Nadal showed his dominance once more in clay by securing his eighth Barcelona Open title on Sunday, defeating compatriot Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3. The Spaniard regrouped a week after losing his eight-year reign at the Monte-Carlo Masters to top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
The win over Almagro is Nadal’s 39th straight victory at the ATP World Tour 500 event. The match lasted an hour and 32 minutes and he’s now 10-0 against Almagro.
“I feel very happy to lift the trophy once again here in Barcelona. It means a lot especially after the difficult year I’ve had,” said Nadal. “The conditions were very difficult today, especially in the first six games as it was raining a lot.”
“I am extremely satisfied about being able to defeat a player like Nico in straight sets in the final. I played better and better as the match went on and the break at 1-3 in the first set was vital for me. In the second set, things went smoother and I managed [to do] well in all the difficult moments,” he added.
Nadal has now accumulated a total of four titles out of six events he’s participated this 2013 season. He’s won titles in Sao Paulo (defeated Nalbandian), Acapulco (defeated Ferrer), Indian Wells (defeated del Potro) and now in Barcelona (defeated Almagro). He’s finished runner-up in the other two events in Chile (lost to Zeballos) and Monte-Carlo (lost to Djokovic).
