A distal aspiration catheter comprises a catheter body having a central lumen, at least one distal opening and a distal tip positioned distally to the at least one distal opening. An aspiration source is configured to attach to a proximal end/luer hub of the central lumen. When the aspiration source is activated, a clot/emboli lodged in a blood vessel is partially ingested into the at least one distal opening of the catheter body by the application of a static aspiration force. The aspiration source may activate a cyclic aspiration force with a forward pressure flow to induce clot fatigue into the partially ingested clot. The fatigued clot can be collected inside the distal tip of the catheter and be removed completely by a single pass of the distal aspiration catheter.