Rafael Nadal on Sunday hailed a “dream start” to his clay-court season after romping to his 10th Barcelona Open title with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Austria’s Dominic Thiem.
The Spaniard also claimed his 10th title at the Monte Carlo Masters the previous weekend as he gears up to go for his 10th French Open title later this month.
“It is two consecutive weeks winning, in Monte Carlo and here, two special tournaments for me, it is a dream start on clay,” Nadal said. “It means a lot for me to reach No. 10 here in Barcelona, in front of the people of my club, I am very happy and emotional.”
Photo: Reuters
Nadal won in Barcelona between 2005 and 2009, 2011 and 2013 and in the past two years.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion also looks like the man to beat at Roland Garros after winning on a Barcelona court named after him and where he did not drop a set all week.
“I thank the club and its members for putting my name on this court. It means a lot to me,” Nadal said.
Nadal has now won 19 straight sets, but Thiem was the toughest opponent he has faced on clay.
Thiem had shocked world No. 1 Andy Murray in the semi-finals and showed some early resistance.
The world No. 9 even had his only break point of the match in the first game, but Nadal, returning to top form at age 30, upped his intensity at the crucial moment and Thiem crumbled with three errors in the 10th game to give away the only break of the set.
“The first set was vitally important,” Nadal said. “It was hard. I was having a few more chances than him, but it was very even and that is why I celebrated with so much energy at the end.”
The second set was a procession as Thiem’s frustration at his inability to break through Nadal’s defenses saw him consistently fire long.
However, Thiem was not too disheartened after losing out to the King of Clay after what had been a productive week.
“I really enjoyed the week in Barcelona,” Thiem said. “There are worse things than to lose against the greatest player on clay ever.”
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38