Rafael Nadal secured his 8th Barcelona Open title after beating Nicolas Almagro in straight sets.
It was a rainy week in Catalunya but the world No. 5 stood head and shoulders above the rest after a 6-4 6-3 win on Sunday.
Nadal, who lost to Novak Djokovic at Monte Carlo to break his eight-year winning record, was back to his best and only needed an hour and 32 minutes to dispatch his opponent.
Almagro was soundly beaten and was disappointed after only taking two of his five break-point chances against the ‘King of Clay’.
Things started out well for the Almagro, taking a 3-0 lead early in the match with his aggressive play despite cloudy and drizzly conditions.
However, Nadal started to get his groove after rain suspended play for a few minutes and won the three of his next four service games to swing the momentum his way.
From there, the 26-year-old champion switched to a higher gear, breaking service twice in the first four games to complete a dominating victory.
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