BARCELONA — Top-seeded Kei Nishikori successfully defended his title at the Barcelona Open by beating Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday's final. The fifth-ranked Japanese fought back from early breaks in both sets to claim his second clay-court title in as many years at the Real Club de Tenis. Nishikori finished off Andujar with a final break to win in 1 hour, 34 minutes. It was his second title of the season and his ninth career title. “I didn't look to defend my title, just to play my best,” Nishikori said. “I knew that this was a tough tournament with all the Spanish players. I just tried to play my best and now I am really happy.” Nishikori hit 23 winners to 19 for Andujar. “I knew that he had a great backhand down the line too, so I had to move the ball around, and in the last two games I played really well,” Nishikori said. “On match point I just closed my eyes and hit it.” Kerber shocks Wozniacki Germany's Angelique Kerber extended her winning streak to 11 matches with a three-sets win over Caroline Wozniacki to win Stuttgart's WTA tournament in Sunday's final. Having knocked out previous champion Maria Sharapova in the second round, Kerber recovered from losing the first set to earn a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over former world number one Wozniacki. Since winning the Charleston tournament a fortnight ago, Kerber carried her impressive form onto Stuttgart's clay courts. Her win over Sharapova was the first time the Russian had tasted defeat in Stuttgart in her fourth tournament here. The first set of Sunday's final was all Wozniacki, who broke Kerber in the fourth game then held her serve to take a 4-1 lead before the set was eventually served out. The German rallied to control the second, blasting her way out to a 3-0 lead before breaking the former world number one in the sixth game for a 5-1 lead to serve out the set. Both players traded breaks in the third before Wozniacki looked to be heading for her second tournament victory of 2015 at 5-3. But Kerber made her shots count and with the Dane under immense pressure on the base line, Wozniacki was broken in the ninth and 11th games to give the German victory in just over two hours. Lopez wins Nastase Tiriac Trophy Guillermo Garcia-Lopez has won the Nastase Tiriac Trophy final, beating Jiri Vesely 7-6 (5), 7-6 (11) Sunday on his sixth match point. The fifth-seeded Spaniard took a 3-0 lead in the first set before his Czech opponent rallied, with Garcia-Lopez needing to save two set points to force the first tiebreaker. The second set saw both players trading breaks with the seventh-seeded Vesely wasting two more set points in the tiebreaker. It was the fifth World Tour title for the 45th-ranked Garcia-Lopez. — Agencies
