BARCELONA — Rafael Nadal won the Barcelona Open for the eighth time Sunday 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. Nadal has won all 10 meetings with the 12th-ranked Almagro. Sharapova runs over Li In Stuttgart, world No. 2 Maria Sharapova saved her best performance of the week for last when she successfully defended her Stuttgart Grand Prix title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over second seed Li Na of China to kick off her clay-court season in style. Sharapova, who had needed three sets in all her previous rounds in Stuttgart, found it easier against Li, with her serve setting her up for her second consecutive victory in the indoor arena. The top seed, her loud grunts echoing around the stadium, snatched a break at the start, with a sizzling backhand down the line that left Li stranded. Li sent a crosscourt backhand into the net to give the Russian another break and allow her to go 4-1 up. The Australian Open finalist bounced back in the next game and grabbed her own first break when Sharapova sent a forehand long after a long rally. Sharapova was in no mood for adventures, however, and quickly established a double break cushion, then served out the first set on her first opportunity when Li sank a return into the net after another well-placed serve. The pair traded blows until Sharapova earned another break point and went 4-3 up. With a superb first-serve figure of 76 percent throughout the game, she kept her opponent pinned to the back and earned her second title of the year when Li double-faulted on the first match point. Schiavone wins title In Morocco, Francesca Schiavone of Italy beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-1, 6-3 Sunday in the Grand Prix SAR final for the sixth title of her career and first since last year. Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion now ranked 48th, clinched her first title since winning the Strasbourg Open last May. Rosol wins In Bucharest, Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic claimed his first ATP title in Bucharest Sunday with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. — Agencies
