Nadal floors Ferrer to win sixth Barcelona title

World number one Rafa Nadal underlined his crushing dominance on clay when he overwhelmed Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 to win a sixth Barcelona Open title in seven years on Sunday.

Nadal followed up his victory over Ferrer in last week's Monte Carlo Masters final with a display of brutal hitting and near-impeccable defence to become the first player in the Open era to win two tournaments at least six times.

His run in Barcelona, where he beat Ferrer in the 2008 and 2009 title matches, was interrupted by his withdrawal last year due to injury, while his triumph in Monaco was his seventh straight title at the event.

Nadal's latest success on the red dust was the 24-year-old Mallorcan's 31st clay title, putting him one clear of Bjorn Borg and Manuel Orantes on the all-time winners list and third behind Guillermo Vilas (45) and Thomas Muster (40).