Nadal makes it seven wins at Barcelona, reaches new milestone

Rafa Nadal became the first player in the open era to win two tournaments seven times when he fought off tenacious Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 7-6, 7-5 to win a thrilling Barcelona Open final on Sunday.

Rafa Nadal became the first player in the open era to win two tournaments seven times when he fought off tenacious Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 7-6, 7-5 to win a thrilling Barcelona Open final on Sunday.

In a repeat of last year's title match and 10 years to the day since he made his World Tour debut, Nadal came out on top in a claycourt slugfest between the nation's two best players that wowed the capacity crowd in the Catalan capital.

The world number two, fresh from clinching a record eighth straight Monte Carlo Masters crown last week, claimed the giant Conde de Godo trophy for the seventh time in eight years with his 34th straight win at the event. It was the 25-year-old French Open champion's 48th career title and his 34th triumph on his beloved clay.

Sixth-ranked Ferrer met Nadal for a fourth time in the Barcelona final.

Sharapova wins in Stuttgart
Berlin: Second-ranked Maria Sharapova made short work of World No.1 Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-4 to win the Stuttgart WTA title for her first crown of the year.

Sharapova had lost the finals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells earlier this year.

Sania-Rodionova progress in Estoril
Estoril, Portugal: Sania Mirza and Anastasia Rodionova overcame a late resistance from Eleni Daniiliidou and Andreja Klepac to progress to the Estoril Open quarterfinals on Monday.

The second seeded Indo-Australia pair beat their unseeded rivals 6-2, 6-7(5), 10-5.