Nadal fends off match point and celebrates twelfth victory in the twelfth Barcelona final

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Rafael Nadal after the match point from Barcelona

Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

World number three, Rafael Nadal, has finished the most recent streak of Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and won the ATP tournament in Barcelona for the twelfth time.

The Spaniard prevailed on Sunday in the final of the clay court tennis tournament 6: 4, 6: 7 (6: 8), 7: 5 against the number two seeded Tsitsipas.

It was a final for the history books: the longest three-set match on the ATP series since recording began in 1991 lasted three hours and 38 minutes.

"I've never played a final like this at this tournament," said Nadal after the game, who described the match as "probably the most difficult".

"It means a lot to me, it was an important victory."

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Tsitsipas

Photo: Alejandro Garcia / EPA

The 22-year-old Tsitsipas took Nadal 7: 6 in the second set as only the second player after David Ferrer in Barcelona in 2008, but was then narrowly defeated in the high-class final.

Failed against Tsitsipas at the Australian Open

Nadal could not use two match points in the second set.

He then fended off a match point and ended the successful streak of the fifth in the world rankings, who had won nine games and a total of 17 sets in a row.

For the 34-year-old Nadal it was the twelfth title in the twelfth final in Barcelona, ​​he won seven of the last ten tournaments.

Tsitsipas had last won his first Masters title in Monte Carlo.

Nadal had to struggle with back problems this year, at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, he was eliminated in the quarter-finals - against Tsitsipas.

“I haven't been able to play a lot of matches in the past few months.

Such games help me physically and prepare me for long battles, ”said Nadal, who wants to win his 14th title at the French Open this year.

bka / dpa / Reuters / AP