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Nadal fends off Ferrer to win seventh Barcelona crown

Rafael Nadal has won 34 consecutive matches in Barcelona © PA Photos

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Rafael Nadal showed why he will be many people's favourite at the French Open after coming through a titanic battle against fellow Spaniard David Ferrer to win the Barcelona Open for a seventh time.

Coming off the back of an eighth straight Monte Carlo crown, Nadal made it back-to-back titles after finally extinguishing No. 3 seed Ferrer's bid 7-6(1) 7-5.

Top seed Nadal, entering the final having only lost 16 games in four rounds, took time to get going and found himself trailing 0-40 in his opening service game. He fended off the first break point but succumbed at the second when a backhand ploughed into the net.

An unforced error from Ferrer enabled Nadal to find a footing in the set as he levelled at 2-2. The rest of the set was fiercely contested, with both players happy to slug it out from the back of the court. The games were long and there were chances for each player on the other's serve, but somehow they arrived at 5-6 to Ferrer with no more breaks.

There was drama in game 12 as Nadal conceded five set points, the world No. 2 somehow repelling all of them to force a tiebreak. A backhand slice clipped the top of the net for Ferrer's first opportunity but a booming forehand staved off the threat. A cross-court inside-out forehand gave Ferrer a second set point but he went long after some punishing shots from Nadal, and a third came and went as Ferrer found the net with a return.

Nadal went wide to present Ferrer with a fourth opportunity but again Nadal held firm, thanks largely to some wonderful defence. Ferrer carved out another chance but an ace averted the danger, and Nadal finally edged in front before setting up a tiebreak.

A double fault handed Nadal the advantage in the ensuing tiebreak, the world No. 2 then preying on his opponent's mistakes to take a 5-1 lead. A missed backhand handed Nadal five set points and he only needed one - Ferrer handing it to him when firing the ball long.

In an equally tight second set, Nadal broke to go 3-1 up in the second set but in Ferrer he found a foe that was unwilling to throw in the towel and he instantly gave the break back. Ferrer had the chance to force the match to a third set when he broke for a 5-4 lead, but Nadal roared back, winning three games on the bounce to snatch the victory.

In Romania, Gilles Simon claimed his 10th career title by beating Fabio Fognini to win the Nastase Tiriac Trophy for the third time.

Simon's service was below-par in the opening set but his superior hitting from the back of the court saw him break three times to his opponent's two. The Frenchman found the second set far easier going, serving far more solidly en route to sealing a 6-4 6-3 triumph.

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