JOIN USNadal followed up his victory over Ferrer in last week’s Monte Carlo Masters final with a display of brutal hitting and near-impeccable defence to become the first player in the Open era to win two tournaments at least six times.
His run in Barcelona, where he beat Ferrer in the 2008 and 2009 title matches, was interrupted by his withdrawal last year due to injury, while his triumph in Monaco was his seventh straight title at the event.
Nadal’s latest success on the red dust was the 24-year-old Mallorcan’s 31st clay title, putting him one clear of Bjorn Borg and Manuel Orantes on the all-time winners list and third behind Guillermo Vilas (45) and Thomas Muster (40).
Goerges stuns Wozniacki
Rank outsider Julia Goerges of Germany stunned world number one Caroline Wozniacki 7-6, 6-3 on Sunday to win her first title of the year in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
Goerges outplayed her opponent, winner of three titles already this year, on the fast indoor clay court, giving the Dane no chance of a title she has yet to win. After converting her second match point, Goerges sank to her feet and then lay flat on the red clay as the crowd cheered for the first German winner of the country's biggest women's tennis event since Anke Huber in 1994.
On Sunday, however, Goerges pinned Wozniacki back from the start, playing the Dane's backhand constantly and forcing her into making errors.
The big-serving 22-year-old, ranked 32nd in the world, did not allow her 20-year-old opponent any chance to break and Wozniacki also struggled with Goerges's kicking serve.
With no break on either side the two went into a first-set tiebreak and the German opened up a 5-2 lead when Wozniacki put a crosscourt forehand into the net.
She grabbed the first set on her second opportunity when Wozniacki sent another forehand long. In the second set, the confident Goerges upped the pressure and broke Wozniacki to open up a 3-0 gap.
Wozniacki finally got her first break points at 3-1 but Goerges’ forehand and a volley gave the German a 4-1 lead.
Goerges missed one match point at 5-2 but had two more in the next game, clinching the second title of her career with a powerful serve.