BARCELONA: Rafael Nadal won the Barcelona Open for the eighth time yesterday after seeing off Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

Almagro played aggressively early on and built a 3-0 lead, but Nadal found his form and broke his fellow Spaniard in three of his next four service games to take the initiative for good.

It was Nadal’s 54th career title and fourth this year, having made six straight finals after returning from a knee injury that had kept him off the courts since last summer.

The title came one week after Nadal’s eight-year reign at Monte Carlo ended in a loss to top-ranked Novak Djokovic.

“I am very happy,” Nadal said. “It has been an important week for me to win here again and a great source of joy after everything I have been through.” Nadal has won 39 straight matches on the red clay at Real Club de Tenis, with his last loss coming 10 years ago to Spain’s Davis Cup captain, Alex Corretja. The 26-year-old Nadal won the tournament from 2005-09 but missed the 2010 edition because of a knee injury. He has won every year since.

His latest trophy is a promising sign that he is getting back to full fitness after his nagging case of tendinitis in time for the French Open beginning at the end of May.

Almagro enjoyed a good start and stole Nadal’s first service game with a forehand winner before holding his serve to love.

Almagro continued to work Nadal around the court with his deep backhand strokes and broke Nadal yet again for a 3-0 lead following a long rally when he swatted a running crosscourt return past the favorite.

But Nadal then showed why he hasn’t lost here in a decade, rolling off four straight games to take control.

“It was important for me to get the break down 3-0,” Nadal said. “Almagro is having a great season and I wish him the best.” Almagro was serving up 30-0 and committed a series of errors including a final double fault to let Nadal level at three games apiece.

Nadal took control of the first set and the match by breaking Almagro a third time. Down 0-30, Nadal saved a point by returning a defensive lob with a shot from between his legs, before Almagro ceded the game and set.

In the second, Nadal pressed home his advantage and broke Almagro for 3-1.

Nadal serve out the match to love before applauding the local fans who had cheered both players on despite the drizzling rain.

Nadal has won all 10 meetings with the 12th-ranked Almagro.

“He showed again why he is the best player in history on this surface,” Almagro said, adding he’ll try to win the title next year “if Rafa let’s me.”

Sharapova reigns in Stuttgart

In Stuttgart, Germany, defending French Open champion Maria Sharapova claimed the Stuttgart WTA title yesterday, beating China’s Li Na 6-4, 6-3 in just over 90 minutes to get her clay-court season off to a winning start.

Having been taken to three-sets in all of her previous three matches here en route to the final, Sharapova saved her best tennis until last to defeat the Chinese in straight sets.

She broke Li twice in the first, but the Chinese managed to reply with a break of her own before Sharapova used the first of her three set points to take the first set.

The 26-year-old world No. 2 then turned up the heat in the second set, breaking Li twice, while holding her own serve without due concern and her aggressive style paid off as she wrapped up victory in an hour and a half.

“I knew this was going to be the toughest match of the week, so I am really pleased with the way things worked out,” said Sharapova, who had lost the previous meeting to Li in the semifinal of January’s Australian Open.

“She has played good tennis all week and I am really happy to have won here again.” Having beaten Lucie Safarova, Ana Ivanovic and Angelique Kerber on the way to the final, Sharapova is now undefeated at Stuttgart on her second appearance at the clay-court tournament.

After seeing off Victoria Azarenka in last year’s final, Sharapova then went on to win her fourth Grand Slam title at Roland Garros and she said she is happy to have got her clay-court season off to another good start.

“It definitely helped last year on the way to the French Open, it’s good to bring back the same confidence on clay as last year,” said Sharapova.

Li had won all her three matches in straight sets, seeing off qualifier Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, fifth-seed Petra Kvitova then qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands on her way to the final.

Sharapova drove off in the brand-new sports car, which was courtside the whole week waiting for the winner, but with Li sponsored by Mercedes, her contract would have forbidden her taking part in the presentation had she won.

“I couldn’t have driven the car,” she said before quipping that was the true reason she had lost the final.