Rafael Nadal equals clay-court record by winning ninth Barcelona Open title

Rafael Nadal equalled Guillermo Vilas's record of 49 career clay-court titles when he won the Barcelona Open on Sunday.

The Spaniard earned victory in the tournament for a ninth time by beating Kei Nishikori 6-4 7-5 in the Catalan city.

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It was a tight contest in the first few games of the opening set as both players broke serve, but Nadal took the lead by going another break up in the 10th game.

Nishikori looked to have launched a fightback by breaking serve at the first time of asking in the second set, but Nadal responded with a double break.

The pair battled for over an hour in the second set alone, and it was the 14-time Grand Slam champion who came out on top 7-5.

Nadal struggled for form last season, but after his victory in Barcelona and winning the Monte Carlo Masters last week, he looks to be a tough opponent to beat heading into next month's French Open.