Rafael Nadal captured his ninth title at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell by defeating two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday. Nadal and Nishikori, who have combined to win 11 of the last 12 Barcelona titles, battled in a high-quality final for two hours and four minutes.
The fifth-ranked Spaniard continued to have trouble consolidating service breaks, a problem that has plagued him throughout the 2016 campaign. Nadal gave back breaks in each of the two sets against Nishikori, but he was able to recover on both occasions. The top seed earned decisive scalps of the Nishikori serve at 5-4 in the opening set and 6-5 in the second.
“It was a very close match,” Nadal commented. “There were a lot of chances for both of us, but I think I [was] solid. When you play against players with such a high level, the match is often decided by a few moments. So I feel happy that I handled all these important moments well mentally.
“I was playing against the No. 6 player in the world and, if you don’t play at your best, you aren’t going to win. I served well and that allowed me to play better. In the second set I missed several chances and at the end it was very close, but I stayed mentally strong.”
Nadal already owned the Open Era record for most career titles at one event (the French Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters). Now he has accomplished that feat at three different tournaments.
Nishikori drop-shot/lob combination:
Nadal wins long rally with drop-shot:
Highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqdP64rrcIA
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