Super Nadal holds sway in Barcelona

Eight-time champion Spain’s Rafael Nadal beat countryman Albert Ramos 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 to claim his 40th consecutive victory at the Barcelona Open on Wednesday. 

The 27-year-old's only loss in Barcelona came on his debut in 2003 as a 15-year-old against Alex Corretja.

Nadal has lost just three sets during his 40-match winning streak in Barcelona, dropping the last one in the second set of the 2008 final against Ferrer.

There were other surprise results as Italian third seed Fabio Fognini retired injured while losing 6-0, 4-0 to Santiago Giraldo of Colombia and eighth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine lost 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 to Spain's Albert Montanes.

Nadal was made to work hard against fellow Spaniard Ramos, ranked 103rd, and said: "After losing in the Monte Carlo, I wanted to raise my game here. It just took a while. I had to accept that I was going to be made to work today, that I was not playing at my best level, but I got through it.’

Nicolas Almagro defeated Martin Klizan of Slovakia 7-5, 7-6 (4), while 11th seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat Kenny De Schepper of France 6-4, 6-3. 12th seed Marin Cilic too had rather easy outing, dismissing Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia in straight sets 6-1, 7-6 (2).

But two other seeds -- seventh seed Jerzy Janowicz of Poland and 13th seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain -- were shown door. Jurgen Melzer of Austria beat Janowicz 6-4, 7-6 (1), and Croatian Ivan Dodig defeated Lopez 6-1, 6-4.

In the Stuttgart Open, top seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland eased past Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3, 6-2, while sixth seed Maria Sharapova of Russia beat compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-3.