Rafael Nadal breezes past Tsitsipas to win 11th 'Godo' of his career

MADRID, April 29 (Xinhua) -- World number one Rafael Nadal won the Barcelona Open Conde de Godo tennis tournament for the 11th time in his career when he defeated 19-year-old Greek, Stefano Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday.

The final lasted just one hour and 18 minutes and was the fastest in the history of the tournament.

31-year-old Nadal's win once again highlighted his superiority on the beaten clay surface favored in Spain and follows last weekend's triumph in Montecarlo and sets him up nicely for the forthcoming Mutua Madrid Open, which begins in the Spanish capital on May 3rd.

Sunday's final win was the 401st match that Nadal has won in his long career and also means he has won 46 consecutive sets on clay, which is his favorite playing surface.

Nadal's professional career spans 17 years and he remains at the top of the world rankings despite a series of knee injuries which have dogged him in recent years.

Tsitsipas, who is ranked 63rd in the world, was the surprise package in this season's 'Godo' and defeated number three seed Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals, as well as number 5 seed Carreno Busta on his way to the final.

However, on the last day of the competition Nadal took full advantage of his inexperience and it was soon obvious who would win the 2018 Conde de Godo. Enditem