TENNIS:Rafael Nadal underlined his status as the king of clay yesterday when he beat Guillermo Canas 6-3, 6-4 to win the Barcelona Open for the third consecutive year. The victory extended his record winning streak on the surface to 72 matches.

The Spanish top seed was made to fight hard by the Argentine 12th seed, but one break in each set was enough to seal victory.

"To win another final, in Barcelona, at home here, it's a great feeling," Nadal said. "The first time I won it was like a dream, so what can I say? To win it for a third time, to win my 20th title here, it's an amazing feeling."

Canas, who beat world number one Roger Federer twice on hard courts last month, had two break points in the opening game of the match, but that was as close as he came to taking the Spaniard's serve.