Rafael Nadal held off a stirring fightback from David Ferrer to beat his fellow Spaniard 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 on Sunday and become the first man to win four consecutive Barcelona Open titles.

The top seed romped through the first set but Ferrer hit back superbly and Nadal had to dig deep to clinch his 25th career title, making it back-to-back tournament wins after his triumph in the Monte Carlo Masters. “I’m very happy,” a relieved Nadal said in a courtside interview.

“The first set I played very well, almost perfect, but he was very strong in the second set and I am just very happy to have won here again."

Gonzalez wins

Second seed Fernando Gonzalez won the Munich Open with a scrappy 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 victory over Italy’s Simone Bolelli on Sunday, adds Reuters.