Nadal dominates Barcelona field with dazzling hot shots
It's two "undécimas" down, one more to go for Rafael Nadal, who's now captured 11 career titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, and has a great shot at an unprecedented 11th French Open.
In Sunday's Barcelona final, Nadal blew out budding teenage star Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1. What's more, he did it with immense style.
Up 4-1 and 40-15, rather than trying to run down a Tsitsipas lob all the way back to the baseline, Nadal simply swatted the ball out of the air, backward and over his dominant left shoulder—so forcefully and accurately that Tsitsipas had no chance of getting it back.
Then in the second set, the King of Clay flattened out his forehand to take a 2-0 lead, virtually securing the title:
Tsitsipas, though he was outmatched in the final, showed his fair share of flair in the tournament as well, complementing his ball-popping power with delicate drop shots.
Nadal, of course, can do that, too.
The Spaniard has now won 19 straight matches on clay (for a whopping 46 set streak).