Rafael Nadal defeated compatriot Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3 to clinch the Barcelona Open for the eighth time on Sunday.
Nadal broke Almagro in three of the next four service games after trailing 3-0 in the first set.
Sunday’s final was Nadal’s sixth straight finals after returning from a knee injury layoff which sidelined him since last summer.
The victory over Almagro had him pick- up the 54th title of his career, one week after ending his eight- year reign at Monte Carlo agains No. 1 seeded Novak Djokovic.
Nadal boast an impressive record over Almargo, having won all 10 of his matches against the 12th- seeded. He has won 39 straight matches on the red clay at Real Club de Tenis, his last loss coming ten years ago.
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