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Nadal makes it six titles in Barcelona

Reuters
Monday 25 April 2011 00:00 BST
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The world No 1 Rafael Nadal underlined his absolute dominance on clay when he overwhelmed Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 to win a sixth Barcelona Open title in seven years yesterday.

Nadal 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 finals, 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).

In Stuttgart, outsider Julia Goerges of Germany stunned world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki 7-6, 6-3 to win the Porsche Open, the first significant title of her career.

Goerges outplayed her opponent on the fast indoor clay court, giving the Dane absolutely no chance of claiming a title she has yet to win. "I don't quite know how I did it," said the the 22-year-old. "Against Caroline it feels like you always have a mountain to climb and I did it."

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