Rafael Nadal, the world No. 3, won a record equaling 17th Masters title with a 7-5, 6-2 defeat of 13th-seeded Spanish compatriot David Ferrer at the Rome Masters 1000 at the Foro Italico on Sunday.
In a match that finished four-and-a-half hours after it started due to two rain delays, clay court king Nadal was never troubled.
His victory matched the mark of 17 Masters wins set by Andre Agassi, although the American was 34 when he won the last of his while the Spaniard is still just 23.
PHOTO: AFP
“I hope to improve this record but you never know when you will stop, that’s the good thing about sport,” Nadal said. “I’m 23 and I’m very happy about how I’ve done these years. For me 17 is a very important number, but in one week we have the Madrid Masters which is another one and I’ll try to keep winning. But these tournaments are very difficult because they have all the best players in the world.”
Nadal, who has dropped only one set on clay this year, proved that he is in great shape ahead of the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, which starts on May 23. Two weeks ago he stormed to victory at the Monte Carlo Masters and here he was only troubled in his three-set epic against Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis in the semi-finals.
It was his fifth win in Rome in the last six years.
Over the last six years he has won Monte Carlo six times, here and Barcelona five times and at Roland Garros will also be aiming for a fifth title.
The players were forced off by rain at 4-4 in the first set and when they came back out, Ferrer seemed to have lost focus.
He had already been under pressure on his serve before the break but at 5-5 he finally gave up a break after netting a forehand when facing his sixth break point of the set.
However, he almost broke straight back as he earned his only break point of the first set but he went long on a backhand return.
Nadal’s deep hitting in the next point allowed him to come forward and bury a volley before another backhand error on the return from Ferrer allowed the world No. 3 to seal the set.
Things looked ominous for Ferrer at the beginning of the second as he dropped to 15-40 on his serve but he dug deep to hold.
However, on his very next game he dropped to 0-40 only to save all three before a forehand wide and a backhand long gave up the break.
Play was then immediately suspended for the second time and the players were off court for an hour and a half, but when they came back Ferrer put up little resistance.
He held his first service game but then at 2-4 he gave up a break point with a double fault and then hit a wild forehand long to allow Nadal to serve for the title.
■PORSCHE GRAND PRIX
AFP, STUTTGART
Following her first title since coming out of retirement Justine Henin says her broken finger could be a “lucky charm,” as she begins her pursuit of a fifth French Open title.
The 27-year-old ended Australian Samantha Stosur’s 11-match unbeaten run on clay in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix on Sunday with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 victory.
Henin, a right-hander, broke the little finger on her left hand ten days ago while preparing for a Fed Cup match and is expected to wear a splint on it until Roland Garros which begins on May 23.
“Maybe my broken finger brought me luck,” the seven-times Grand Slam winner said.
“Life is amazing, when I broke my finger 10 days ago and I heard it was a fracture I didn’t know if I would even be able to come here. I decided to take my chances and get used to playing with a splint … As I won the tournament, it was a good decision, but I have to keep playing with the splint for a few more weeks yet, so it was good practice,” she said.
This was Henin’s first victory in her third final since ending her 18-month hiatus in January, but despite winning a Porsche sports car and US$107,000, the Belgian said the win meant far more than cash.
“It is a great feeling, I have been waiting for this in the last couple of tournaments,” she said, having reached the Brisbane and Australian Open finals.
“It is emotional for me, I really like this tournament and even a year ago, I didn’t think I would be back again ... Just to get this feeling, to reach the end of the tournament and win it, it was something very strong and very deep,” Henin said.
This is the second time she leaves Stuttgart with a Porsche having also won the 2007 tournament.
Henin said the broken finger gave her no problems driving the car around the claycourt arena following her triumph.
“It was OK to drive the Porsche, but I have a reputation as a bad driver ... When I got my license, a long time ago now, I had two accidents within 24 hours and that still follows me all the time,” she said.
Having walked away from tennis in May 2008 as world No. 1, the hype is already growing around Henin’s attempt to win the French Open for the fifth time with the tournament just three weeks away.
“It is still too early to talk about Roland Garros, this was only the first tournament of the clay court season,” the Belgium said.
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