After converting three of five break points to secure the first set, Nadal was then faced with seven break points against him in the second set, two of which Ferrer converted to help level the match at one set all. Nadal regained command in the third set though, winning 13 points more than Ferrer and breaking serve twice to secure the title victory in 2hrs., 14mins.
"I'm very happy with this win," said Nadal. "Having won four times in Monte-Carlo and four times in Barcelona is something very special for me. It was a tough match, but I was mentally strong during the whole game and kept fighting. As David started playing better in the second set I tried to stay calm and focus on my game."
"Rafa had a very good start today," conceded Ferrer. "I came back playing good tennis in the second set, but again in the final set I kept fighting but he was just playing too good and he deserves to win. I don't know what you have to do to beat him on clay. Don't ask me (laughing)."
The Mallorcan Nadal now improves to 6-3 against Valencia-based Ferrer; he has won five of their six meetings on clay, with Ferrer’s only victory coming in Stuttgart four years ago. He also improves to 37-19 against Top 10 players.
World No. 2 Nadal, who leads the ATP circuit with 32 match-wins this season, was contesting his fourth final this year and has claimed his second title, the 25th of his career. He won his first title of the campaign last week at ATP Masters Series Monte-Carlo (his 10th AMS shield), defeating No. 1 Roger Federer for the third successive year, and now stands at 10-0 for the campaign on clay.
"This year is a great one so far," said Nadal. "I'm No. 1 in the Race and I've won two very important tournaments - Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. For me the important thing this week was to be playing well. I've been playing well during the last tournaments and that's what I'm very happy about.
I will probably just relax in the room tonight, sleep and then fly to Rome tomorrow in order to practice there in the afternoon."
The 21-year-old Nadal improves to 25-8 lifetime in ATP singles finals, and to an all-time best 20-1 in clay court finals.
Nadal’s record in Barcelona now stands at 21-1. His only loss came against countryman Alex Corretja in the second round on his debut appearance in 2003. In the past three years, he has defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo and Guillermo Canas to win the title three times. He clinched his fourth title this week with the loss of just one set, winning in straight sets against Potito Starace, No. 16 seed Feliciano Lopez, Juan Ignacio Chela and Denis Gremelmayr.
Earlier in the season, Nadal finished runner-up in Chennai (l. to Youzhny) and at the Sony Ericsson Open (l. to Davydenko), while also recording semifinal finishes at the Australian Open (l. to Tsonga) and ATP Masters Series Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic).
World No. 5 Ferrer was contesting his second final of the season and slips to 22-8 for the campaign. He claimed his first title of the season, and the sixth of his career, two weeks ago in Valencia (d. Almagro). His career record in ATP finals slips to 6-5.
"I'm leaving Barcelona with a good feeling and a lot of confidence," said Ferrer. "He's the No.2 in the world and the No. 1 on clay. It's still a great week for me."
The 26-year-old, who is also a four-time quarterfinalist in 2008, was through to his first final in Barcelona. He falls to 19-33 lifetime against fellow Top 10 players.
Top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal (pictured) claimed his fourth straight title at the Open Sabadell Atlantico in Barcelona on Sunday, defeating No. 2 seed and countryman David Ferrer 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 in the final. 