Rafael Nadal in seventh heaven

Rafael Nadal won his seventh Barcelona Open with a 7-6 7-5 victory over old rival David Ferrer. Nadal, who has now beaten his fellow Spaniard in each of the last four finals in Barcelona, had to dig deep to overcome his fellow Davis Cup winner. Ferrer had his chances to win each set - Nadal saving five set points in the opener before breaking back at 4-5 in the second when Ferrer could have sent the match into a decider. It means Nadal is now the only player to have won two tournament seven or more times - he won his eighth Monte Carlo title last week. It was the 25-year-old French Open champion's 48th career title and his 34th triumph on his beloved clay.