Nadal clinches ninth Rome title
REUTERS – Rafael Nadal won a record 34th ATP Masters 1,000 title with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final yesterday.
The Spaniard, who had shared the record of 33 Masters titles with the Serbian world number one, warmed-up for the defence of his French Open crown by securing his ninth Rome title.
Nadal got off to a flying start by whitewashing a shell-shocked Djokovic in the opening set. It was the first time there has been a 6-0 set during a meeting between the two rivals.
Djokovic took the second by breaking Nadal’s serve for the first time while leading 5-4, but the second seed responded in style by storming through the decisive set.