Rafael Nadal Beats Dominic Thiem to Win Record 10th Barcelona Open Title

Rafael Nadal added a record 10th Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell title to his impressive resume Sunday, beating Dominic Thiem, 6-4, 6-1, in the final.

The Austrian gave Nadal a stiff challenge for much of the first set, but the Spaniard shifted gears after his first break and cruised to a win. After winning the Monte-Carlo Masters last week, Nadal appears to be in superb form just a few weeks ahead of the French Open.

JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images

Nadal came into the final with a 2-1 record against Thiem, with the Austrian impressive of late, especially on clay. From the opening game, the 23-year-old was in top form, showcasing excellent defence and mobility.

The two were neck and neck to start the match, leading to some wonderful exchanges. Tennis TV shared video of one of the best points of the first set:

Defending champion Nadal appeared to have a slight edge in the return game, and as the set wore on, he started to put more and more pressure on Thiem during the latter's serve games. It led to a couple of testy moments for the Austrian, but he was able to keep it together until the 10th game.

Serving to stay in the match, Thiem couldn't deal with Nadal's slicing backhand, and after forcing a deuce situation and pushing his advantage, the Spaniard grabbed the lead thanks to an unforced error.

ESPN's Brad Gilbert took notice of the level of play:

The second set started at a similar pace, with three holds of serve before the tournament favourite struck again. With some incredible backhands and defensive trickery, he forced another break to take a 3-1 advantage.

Tennis writer Tumaini Carayol was taken aback by how good the clay specialist was playing:

Another hold followed, and Thiem's spirit was clearly broken by this point. The Spaniard steamed to yet another break before finishing the job on his own serve.

Nadal has now won the last two clay tournaments he has entered, beating some of the world's best along the way. Heading toward the French Open, the king of clay appears in vintage form, and he should be the favourite for this year's Roland Garros tournament.