Nadal Rolls to Barcelona Title

April 30, 2018 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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Rafael Nadal continued his torrid pace through the clay-court season by taking the Barcelona Open title on Sunday, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1 to claim the Barcelona title for the 11th time.

“I’m very happy for the victory against a very difficult opponent. Tsitsipas has an amazing future. It was a great final for me and the 11th title here means a lot. I enjoyed the whole week and had great support from the crowd,” said Nadal. “It’s very difficult to describe how to win 11 titles at one tournament. To win 11 Monte Carlos and 11 Barcelonas is something I couldn’t imagine doing. I’m just enjoying every week and the fact I’m playing in a tournament that I enjoy so much means a lot to me.”

Nadal cruised through the Barcelona field the same way he did the Monte Carlo field: without dropping a set. He has now won 46 consecutive sets on clay and 19 matches overall.

The title is the 77th for Nadal in his career, tying him with John McEnroe for fourth place all-time in the Open Era. Nadal remains at World No. 1 with the win.

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
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