Nadal bests Ferrer for 6th Barcelona crown

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BARCELONA, Spain, April 24 (UPI) -- Rafael Nadal defeated David Ferrer in a championship match for the second straight week Sunday, besting him 6-2, 6-4 for the Barcelona Open title.

The world No. 1 followed up last week's win over his fellow Spaniard at the Monte Carlo Masters, claiming his sixth Barcelona championship and his 31st on clay -- third-most all time since the beginning of the Open Era in 1968.

Nadal now trails Guillermo Vilas with 45 and Thomas Muster's 40 in career clay-court titles.

He also improved to 45-15 for his career in championship matches and to 13-4 lifetime against Ferrer.

Ferrer, meanwhile, came up a bit short in his bid for his third crown of the year following wins in Auckland and Acapulco, falling to 11-12 all time in finals.