Tennis

[donsaeid]

دور دوم رقابت*هاي بين*المللي تنيس ميامي آمريكا روز شنبه با حذف سه تنيس باز مطرح جهان آغاز شد.


به گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه ، "جيمز بلاك " آمريكايي با نتيجه ۲بر يك مغلوب " فلورنت سرا " از فرانسه شد ، "ماركوس باگداتيس" از قبرس با همين نتيجه مقابل " خوان مارتين دل پوترو" از آرژانتين تن به شكست داد و "مارات سافين" روس در دو ست متوالي نتيجه را به "فيليسيانو لوپز" اسپانيايي واگذار كرد.

در ساير بازي*ها، "اوليور روش" بلژيكي با نتيجه ۲بر صفر "گيلرمو لوپز" از اسپانيا را شكست داد، "فرناندو گونزالز" از شيلي با همين نتيجه بر " توماس يوهانسون" از سوئد غلبه كرد، "ميخائيل يوژني" از روسيه با نتيجه ۲بر يك از سد " تيمور از گاباشيل " از روسيه گذشت و " رافائل نادال" اسپانيايي در دو ست پياپي مقابل "روكاردو ملو" از برزيل به برتري رسيد.

"گيل سيمون" فرانسوي با نتيجه ۲بر صفر "لوييس هورنا" از پرو را مغلوب كرد، " اندي روديك" آمريكايي با همين "مارتين آرگولو" از آرژانتين را پشت سر گذاشت و "داويد فرر" از اسپانيا با حساب ۲بر صفر برابر "خوان موناكو" از آرژانتين به پيروزي دست يافت.

در پايان اين دوره از پيكارها، ۶ميليون و ۹۰۰هزار دلار به نفرات برتر اهدا مي*شود.

[abadani69]

Rafael Nadal said he's skipping Spain's Davis Cup quarterfinal match against the United States next month because he needs to rest his injured foot.

Nadal said his foot has been bothering him for the past month. Despite the injury, Nadal played in the quarterfinals Wednesday night at the Sony Ericsson Open, losing to Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4.

"Although I've been playing very well, I'm playing with some pain in my foot," Nadal said. "I have to rest right now because I feel pain."

The absence of the second-ranked Nadal will make the U.S. team a strong favorite for the match April 6-8 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"I'm very disappointed about not being able to play Davis Cup," Nadal said. "This time is the first time when I can't go to Davis Cup, so I will support my team from Mallorca."

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The memoir of tennis sensation, gossip column favorite and philanthropist Andre Agassi, a book strongly desired by numerous publishers, has been acquired by Alfred A. Knopf.

Financial terms were not disclosed Wednesday, although bidding reportedly topped $5 million as publishers flew out to see Agassi at his hometown of Las Vegas, touring his Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a charter school for at-risk youth, and then meeting with him at his office.

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David Hirshey, senior vice president and executive editor at HarperCollins, one of the publishers that competed for the book, said the deal was more in line with what a former U.S. president would get.

"This is White House money," Hirshey said. "I can't remember the last time a sports figure got more than two million."

The 36-year-old Agassi, one of the greatest players of his generation, retired after last fall's U.S. Open.

His book is not yet titled and no release date has been set.

"I recently had the privilege of meeting with top executives and editors from eight publishing houses," Agassi said in a statement released Wednesday by Knopf. "Everyone was very impressive, but in the end, I felt the strongest connection with (Knopf head) Sonny Mehta and his colleagues at Knopf."

"Andre Agassi is one of the world's most popular and admired figures," Mehta said in a statement. "He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell -- an inspiring story of determination, competition, and what it takes to become one of the greatest athletes of our time. Additionally, he is someone who has chosen to use his success as an instrument for change in the world."

In his early years on the tour, Agassi was known for his tennis, togs and 'tude, especially for his brief marriage to Brooke Shields, his friendship with Barbra Streisand and his "Image Is Everything" ad campaign, a slogan from which he later distanced himself. Agassi is now married to fellow tennis star Steffi Graf.

He was the game's top-ranked male player for months in 1995, but then faltered so badly that he dropped out of the top 100 and resorted to playing in tennis' minor leagues. Thanks to rigorous training, he bounced back, soaring into the top 10 in 1998 and enjoying a yearlong reign on top in 1999-2000. He has won all four "Grand Slam" singles events: The French Open, the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

In 1994, he founded the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (AACF), "created to provide recreational and educational opportunities for at-risk children in Southern Nevada." The Agassi academy opened in 2001.

[abadani69]

Serena Williams says her boycott of the Indian Wells tournament will continue, despite new WTA Tour rules making participation mandatory.

Williams and her sister Venus last played in the California tournament in 2001, when the family was booed after Venus withdrew just before a semifinal match against Serena. Their father, Richard, said the jeers were racially motivated.

"I can guarantee you the chances of getting me to Indian Wells are slim to none, unless -- I'm not going to go back. I have no interest in going. It's just how I feel. And I think anyone that went through what I went through would feel a similar position," Serena Williams said Wednesday after winning her quarterfinal match at the Sony Ericsson Open.

The new WTA Tour rules were announced Tuesday and take effect in 2009. They require players to participate in four events -- Indian Wells, Key Biscayne and new tournaments in Madrid and Beijing. Top-10 players who miss mandatory tournaments will be subject to suspensions and larger fines than in the past.

When the new rules were announced by Larry Scott, chief executive officer of the WTA Tour, he said there would be no exceptions.

"This is a system that's designed for the future and hopefully long into the future, and it won't be designed around any individual player," Scott said.

"I'm very sensitive to some of the concerns that Venus and Serena have had with Indian Wells. I've discussed this with both of them, and I think they understand that we can't design a system around individual issues that players have."

Serena Williams said she needed to "have a sit-down and powwow with Larry Scott, because we haven't had a chance to talk about it."

[abadani69]

James Blake's ready to be the No. 1 singles player for the United States in next week's Davis Cup quarterfinal against Spain after Andy Roddick strained his left hamstring.

"It's an injury that could be tricky. We hope he's OK," Blake said Thursday in a conference call. "If we have him, we like our chances. If we don't have him, we're lucky enough to live in a country that has exceptional depth.

"I feel confident going on the court as the No. 1 and having Mardy Fish as the No. 2, or even Sam Querry or Robby Ginepri."

Roddick, ranked No. 5, was injured in the first set of Wednesday's Sony Ericsson Open quarterfinal and was forced to retire. He likely won't know until early next week whether he'll be able to play in the April 6-8 matches in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Captain Patrick McEnroe already has named Fish, ranked No. 23, to the team and has said he likely would play if there were an injury.

The U.S. is seeking its first Davis Cup title since 1995.

Spain will be missing No. 2 ranked Rafael Nadal, who announced Tuesday he won't play to rest an injured right foot. That left Tommy Robredo and David Ferrer as Spain's singles players for the best-of-five event.

After starting the year with a win in Sydney, Blake has struggled of late, losing in the second round of his past three tournaments. Blake, ranked No. 8, lost to Tomas Berdych in the Americans' 4-1 win over the Czech Republic in first round of the Davis Cup last month.

"Whether I've lost fitness or lost confidence, I haven't been playing very well," Blake said. "Those things are bound to happen after having so many good results. I'm ready to turn it around, hopefully."

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The German Tennis Federation has filed a lawsuit against the ATP in federal court to protest planned schedule changes by the governing organization for men's tennis.

The German federation said Friday that months of negotiations between the two sides had broken down over a plan by the ATP to reduce the clay-court Masters tournaments -- leading up to June's French Open -- to Madrid and Rome, starting in 2009.

That would bump the Hamburg Masters from its traditional spot on the calendar and take away its status as a major clay-court warmup for the Roland Garros grand slam.

The federation filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, saying a contract guarantees Hamburg's spot on the calendar.

"The structural changes planned by the ATP will clearly hurt Hamburg the most," federation president Georg von Waldenfels said. "As a result there would be major economic disadvantages to us."

German media reported 60 players -- including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal -- signed a petition against the move.

Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, head of the tennis player's union, said he appreciated the German federation's position.

"They had a great event, a great tradition for over 100 years, and I know that they feel bad," Ljubicic said. "But I also understand that the ATP is trying to improve our sport, and Hamburg is unfortunately one of those tournaments paying the price."

Ljubicic said players who prefer clay want Hamburg to remain a Masters Series event.

The ATP stood by its plan.

"The ATP is confident in its position, and will continue to take steps to improve and grow its men's professional tennis circuit for the benefit of fans," the organization said in a statement.

Tommy Robredo of Spain won the Hamburg Masters in 2006.

[abadani69]

Top-ranked Justine Henin withdrew Saturday from the tournament in Charleston, S.C., beginning April 9, saying she wants to return home to Belgium and rest before beginning her clay-court season.

Henin, who has been battling a respiratory problem, withdrew from the Charleston event after losing to Serena Williams in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open.

"I better go home and see a specialist for my breathing problems," Henin said. "I need this time off."

Henin said her next tournament will be in Warsaw beginning April 30.

Williams said she plans to play Charleston.

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A forgiving net cord saved Serena Williams from defeat, and she made the most of the lucky bounce.

One point from losing the final in the Sony Ericsson Open, Williams hit a return that grazed the tape atop the net and skipped across to keep her chances alive. She won the ensuing rally, and more than an hour later she won her fourth Key Biscayne title.

Williams survived a dismal start and erased two championship points in the second set Saturday to beat top-ranked Justine Henin 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.

"When I get down, a part of me just plays better," Williams said. "I think all champions have that."

The comeback was nothing new for Williams, who revived her career by winning the Australian Open in January for her eighth Grand Slam title. Once ranked No. 1, she fell to 140th last July because of long layoffs but will climb back to 11th next week.

Williams closed out the victory with a service winner, accepted gracious congratulations from Henin and waved her index finger for the cheering crowd, intent on returning to the top.

The match was 39 minutes old before Williams won a game, and she was twice one point from defeat with Henin serving at 5-4 in the second set.

"I said, 'I don't want to lose this fast. At least let it last an hour,"' Williams said.

Perhaps she learned how to deal with such stressful situations from her older sister. Serena was a spectator when Venus Williams fended off eight championship points to beat Jennifer Capriati in the 2001 Key Biscayne final.

With Henin serving at 40-15, Williams saved the first championship point by smacking an overhead winner after skipping her return off the net. She reached deuce by hitting a strong forehand to force an errant backhand by the Belgian.

Two points later, Henin slipped and took an awkward tumble, skinning her left knee, and she lost the next six points. She fell again trailing 3-0 in the final set and remained seated on the sunbaked concrete for nearly a minute, as if debating whether to concede.

The feisty Henin rose and rallied for 3-all, before Williams began one final surge.

"She's a fighter," Henin said. "It's tough to close the matches against her, because she goes for it. She's a champion, and that makes a difference from the other players, for sure."

Playing in only her seventh tournament in the past 18 months -- and her first since Melbourne -- Williams improved to 15-1 this year and 41-5 at Key Biscayne.

Two first-time Key Biscayne finalists will meet for the men's title Sunday: 29-year-old qualifier Guillermo Canas and 19-year-old Novak Djokovic.

Williams vs. Henin was their first meeting in nearly four years. There were hard feelings in both camps after Henin beat Williams in the 2003 French Open semifinals, but they engaged in a warm conversation following the revival of the rivalry.

"The relationship is very good now," Henin said. "We have a lot of respect for each other. We both agree that we are very good players. So what happened in the past is far away from now."

Henin, a five-time Grand Slam champion playing in her first Key Biscayne final, used her vast array of shots to control the early rallies. Williams was off balance and struggled in vain to control the groundstrokes she used to overpower top-seeded Maria Sharapova and others in previous matches.

By the third game, Williams was flailing her arms in frustration. Two games later, she threw her racket. Then she screamed at herself. She lost the first six games for only the second time in her career, and won just six points in her first four service games.

"I figured I could do a little better," she said.

Williams finally won a game by breaking for 1-all in the second set, then needed 16 points in the next game to hold for the first time.

"I was making a lot of errors," Williams said. "Justine was moving up to the ball and blasting winners. I had to lift the level of my game and stop making errors."

The crowd -- including Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade -- was in Williams' corner and roaring as she began to rally.

"I remember I missed a shot, and the whole crowd was like, 'Awwww,"' she said. "It was really like they were all leaning on that one ball, and everyone was so involved. At that point, I just was having a good time. I was just like, 'Wow, this is fun.' I continued to fight."

Her groundstrokes became steadier, and she started moving forward more aggressively. Also contributing to the turnaround was some tentative play by Henin, who hit two double-faults serving for the title at 5-4 in the second set, and another when she lost serve to fall behind 5-3 in the final set.

Williams trailed love-40 serving in the final game before she swept the last five points. She converted her first championship point, curling in a 77-mph kick serve that handcuffed Henin.

The serve skipped off the sideline and Williams hesitated, unsure whether the shot was good. She then dropped her racket and grinned sheepishly at her narrow escape and latest title, the 28th of her career.

Williams also won $533,350. Henin settled for $266,675.

[abadani69]

Serena Williams fought off two match points on her way to an epic 0-6 7-5 6-3 comeback win over world number one Justine Henin to claim her fourth Sony Ericsson title on Saturday.

Brushed aside in 26 minutes in the opening set and broken by the Belgian to start the second, Williams's title hopes had appeared over.

But the muscular American, backed by a vocal home crowd at Crandon Park, gathered her reserves and slowly clawed her way back into the contest, finally gaining control after fending off two match points with Henin serving at 5-4 in the second.

With the crowd and the momentum now on her side, a ruthless Williams moved in for the kill sweeping through the next six games to take a 3-0 lead in the third set, closing out the two hour 26 minute marathon with service winner on her first match point.

While Williams is currently ranked 18th, the final featured the WTA Tour's two hottest players with both women coming into the showdown having lost just one match this season.

Henin arrived in the championship match riding a 13 match unbeaten streak including back-to-back titles in Dubai and Doha while Williams, playing her first event since the Australian Open, brought a 12 match unbeaten run onto Stadium court.

[abadani69]

Venus Williams advanced to the third round of the Bausch & Lomb Championships on Wednesday night, beating Patty Schnyder 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the clay-court tournament

Williams has won nine straight matches against Schnyder.

"I think going to a match for her against an opponent you've never won against, I think that's tough," Williams said. "That probably played a role. She was probably nervous, too. She was hitting some double faults at times when there was no need to."

In the third set, Schnyder gained the upper hand by breaking Williams for a 3-1 lead. But Williams responded by breaking the fourth-seeded Swiss player at love in the following game and then holding serve for a 3-3 tie.

Schnyder's two double faults in the seventh game were followed by a backhand into the net and a shot that sailed over the back line as Williams let out an emphatic "yes" on the service break. Williams then held her serve in the final two games for the win.

"It was one of those days where I felt I was just a little bit off and against a player like Patty, you need that extra bit," Williams said. "I felt I was sometimes hitting in the open court too much and that some of the balls were floaters. That's why I went more to a serve and volley attack in the third set."

Williams, a late addition to the tournament, will face Meilen Tu in the third round in a battle of the two remaining American players in the tournament. Tu beat 17th-seeded Martina Muller 6-3, 6-1.

Earlier, second-seeded Jelena Jankovic routed Iveta Benesova 6-1, 6-2.

Jankovic overwhelmed Benesova, winning 22 of 27 points on her first serve, including a pair of aces. Jankovic also had little trouble with her opponent's second serve, capturing all but four of 17 points.

"I'm comfortable on clay courts, but I need some time to get use to it," Jankovic said. "I really prefer hard courts. I need to work on getting my rhythm back on clay. I hope to get as many matches as possible here on clay and play better and better."

Also, sixth-seeded Ana Ivanovic beat Peng Shuai 1-6, 6-4, 6-3; No. 8 Tatiana Golovin routed Catalina Castano, 6-0, 6-3; No. 12 Samantha Stosur topped Romina Oprandi 7-6 (, 6-2; No. 13 Sybille Bammer beat Virginie Razzano 6-1, 6-1; and No. 16 Alona Bondarenko edged Yaroslava Shvedova 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. Seventh-seeded Li Na became the highest seeded player to lose, falling 6-3, 6-3 to Karolina Sprem.

[abadani69]

Andy Roddick practiced Tuesday despite a strained left hamstring and plans to play for the United States in the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Spain this week.

"Right now I'm going to play, barring some setback," Roddick said. "I started playing some points this morning and those went OK."

Roddick was injured while lunging for a shot in the fifth game of a quarterfinal match against Andy Murray last week in the Sony Ericsson Open and was forced to retire.

An MRI showed no tear, and after several days of intense ice, laser and other treatments, Roddick said he's nearing 100 percent ahead of the first matches Friday on the hard court.

I don't know if it's 100 percent, but it's getting better daily and that's a good thing," Roddick said. "It might be safer (to sit out), but at this time, Davis Cup is one of my biggest priorities. If I'm here and can go out and try to get a win, I'm going to do that."

Roddick, ranked No. 3, has been a reliable player for the U.S. in Davis Cup play, going 22-9 in the past six years and rarely passing up a chance to play. He won both his singles matches in the first round victory over the Czech Republic in February, including a four-set victory over Tomas Berdych in the clinching match.

"I think Andy is going to be 100 percent. I think he's very close right now," U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said. "I'm certainly not going to let him go out there if he's not 100 percent. All signs point to him being 100 percent to play two matches."

Roddick would be the No. 1 singles player and James Blake No. 2 against Spain, which will be without its top player. Rafael Nadal, ranked No. 2, pulled out of the event last week, citing a sore right foot.

Tommy Robredo and David Ferrer are expected to be the singles players for Spain. Robredo is 0-7 against Roddick.

"I don't care if he's beaten me in the past or if he's going to beat me in the future, the important thing is to beat him here," Robredo said. "The important thing is to win three points here, and that's why we're here. If not, we'd be preparing for the clay season."

Despite Blake's struggles of late -- he's dropped six of his past nine matches -- the Americans' chances improve without Nadal.

Spain captain Emilio Sanchez expects to see Roddick in singles matches Friday and Sunday.

"He's the most successful player from the American team, so if he says he's healthy, he'll play," Sanchez said. "We will not change our way of approaching the tie whether he plays or doesn't play.

[abadani69]

Things appear to be setting up nicely for the United States to exact a measure of revenge against Spain in their Davis Cup quarterfinal.

Led by Andy Roddick, the U.S will have plenty of crowd support and the benefit of playing on a favorable surface in its matchup against Spain that begins Friday at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

While Roddick is healthy enough to play after battling a hamstring injury, Spain will be without Rafael Nadal - the world's second-ranked player - due to a foot injury.

Nadal used the 2004 matchup in the final to stamp himself as a star and lift Spain to a 3-2 triumph over the United States in Seville.

In the previous meeting, Spain had the advantage of being cheered on by 27,000 rabid fans and playing on their clay surface.

Trying to improve on its 16-3 record in the quarterfinals, the U.S. now gets to play in front of a sold-out crowd at the 14,453-seat Coliseum. The Americans also have chosen a hard court surface, something that could be a major advantage.

"I think we're looking forward to it," U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe said. "They made the court as much to their liking as they could, which you expect in Davis Cup. They should expect we'll do the same."

The U.S. is 4-3 all-time against Spain in Davis Cup.

Joining Roddick in the singles in the best-of-five matchup is James Blake. Double stalwarts Mike and Bob Bryan will play doubles.

After Blake faces Tommy Robredo in the first singles match, Roddick will take the court against Fernando Verdasco whom he is 5-2 lifetime against.

Roddick also is 22-9 lifetime in Davis Cup play. He won both of his matches in the 4-1 triumph over the Czech Republic in February.

In doubles on Saturday, the Bryans will meet Feliciano Lopez and Verdasco. There also will be reverse singles Sunday.

The U.S. has won a record 31 Davis Cups, but is looking to end a 12-year drought.

The last title came in 1995 when Pete Sampras and Jim Courier spearheaded a 3-2 victory over Russia at Moscow's claycourt Olympic Stadium.

Defending champion Russia continues its quest for another title when it faces France in Moscow.

The Russians have defeated the French in the quarterfinals the last two seasons. They also beat France in the 2002 final at Paris.

Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev will go with Mikhail Youzhny, Nikolay Davydenko, Marat Safin and Igor Andreev. Guy Forget, the French captain, counters with Richard Gasquet, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra.

Led by David Nalbandian, Argentina enters hostile territory to take on Sweden in Gothenburg. The Argentines rolled to a 5-0 sweep of Sweden in the first round last year.

At home in the Sleuyter Arena, Belgium attempts to defeat Germany for the first time in eight meetings.

[abadani69]

مسابقات تنيس قهرماني ايران درسه رده سني نونهالان ، نوجوانان و جوانان از فردا پنجشنبه در زمين تنيس مجموعه ورزشي شيرودي تهران آغاز مي شود.

دراين رقابتها كه به*منظور بسترسازي و شناسايي استعدادهاي تنيس كشور برگزار مي*شود بيش از ۱۰۰تنيسور از ۱۳استان كشور حضور دارند.

به گزارش روز چهارشنبه روابط عمومي فدراسيون تنيس،اين مسابقات در ۳ رده سني ۱۱تا ۱۳سال ، زير ۱۶سال و زير ۱۸سال برگزارمي*شود و هفته اول اين رقابتها به رده*هاي سني نونهالان و نوجوانان اختصاص دارد.

دراين رقابتهادر هرگروه و مقطع از تهران ۴نفر و از ساير استانها ۲تا ۳تنيسور حضور دارند.

تيم*هاي تهران، آذربايجان غربي ، كهگيلويه و بويراحمد ، هرمزگان ، خراسان شمالي ، خراسان رضوي ، گلستان ، آذربايجان شرقي ، قزوين ، زنجان، قم ، گيلان و خوزستان دراين دوره ازمسابقات حضور دارند.

ساسان حسيني داوربين*المللي كشورمان سرداور اين مسابقات است و جمشيد قاسمي مديريت اين رقابتها را برعهده دارد.

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"راينر شوتلر" آلماني روز چهارشنبه با شكست مقابل حريف اتريشي خود از دور پيكارهاي تنيس هوستون آمريكا حذف شد.

به گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه، در اين ديدار شوتلر با نتيجه ۲بر يك مغلوب "يورگن ملزر" اتريشي شد.

در ساير ديدارها، "ماريانو زابالتا" آرژانتيني با نتيجه ۲بر صفر مقابل "رايان سوتينگ" از آمريكا به برتري رسيد، "آلبرت مونتانس" اسپانيايي با همين نتيجه بر " الكساندتر پيا" از اتريش غلبه كرد و "دوسان وميچ" از صربستان با نتيجه ۲بر صفر "راميرز هيدلگو" از اسپانيا را شكست داد.

"ميشل روسل" از آمريكا در دو ست متوالي ديگر هموطن خود "روبرت كندريك" را مغلوب كرد، "جيمز بلاك" آمريكايي با همين نتيجه از سد "داويد سانگونتي" از ايتاليا گذشت .


***
دور نخست رقابت*هاي تنيس بين*المللي والنسيا اسپانيا عصر چهارشنبه با برگزاري دو ديدار آغاز شد.

به گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه، "فيليسيانو لوپز" اسپانيايي با نتيجه ۲ بر يك و با امتيازات ۶بر ۳ ، ۲بر ۶و ۶بر ۲مقابل ديگر هموطن خود "آلبرتو مارتين" تن به شكست داد و " الساندرو فالا" از كلمبيا با نتيجه ۲بر صفر و با امتيازات ۶بر ۳و ۶بر ۴برابر " اندراس سپي" ايتاليايي به پيروزي رسيد.

[abadani69]

Rafael Nadal won his third straight Open Seat Godo championship Sunday, defeating Guillermo Canas of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 for his 72nd consecutive victory on clay.

Nadal hasn't dropped a set on clay since top-ranked Roger Federer won the first set of their French Open final last year. He credited a more aggressive style for his recent success.

"I've had some difficult moments like when I went eight months without winning a tournament," the top-seeded Spaniard said. "Since Dubai (in March) I made a change in my game and the victory at Indian Wells was really important for my confidence."

Four players -- Nadal, Mats Wilander, Roy Emerson and Manuel Orantes -- have won three times at Barcelona. Nadal tied Wilander's 23-year-old record of three straight championships.

"To win here at my club for the third straight year is a dream," Nadal said. "When I won the first it felt incredible, so just imagine how it must feel to win a third."

The day was not a complete success for the No. 2-ranked player. He and Bartolome Salva-Vidal of Spain lost the doubles final, beaten 6-3, 7-6 (1) by Andrei Pavel of Romania and Alexander Waske of Germany.

Nadal improved to 3-0 against Canas, who reached his second straight final after losing to Novak Djokovic at the Sony Ericsson Open this month.

Nadal saved two break chances for Canas in the first game. Both players then held serve until the sixth when the French Open champion scored the decisive break, sending a forehand the Argentine couldn't reach. Nadal then held for the set.

Nadal scored the decisive break in the seventh game of the second set. The Spaniard held serve for the rest of the set to win the 12th title of his clay court streak.

"The difference were the two breaks," Canas said. "At least playing against Nadal at his best will only serve to help me reach a level that I would like to reach with my own game."