Top-ranked Roger Federer rallied from two points from defeat and won the Nasdaq-100 Open by beating 18-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1 Sunday.
Federer trailed 4-2 in the third set and 5-3 in the ensuing tiebreaker, but his shots became more accurate and aggressive as he overtook a tiring Nadal in the three-hour, 42-minute marathon.
Wearing long white shorts, an orange sleeveless shirt and a white headband, Nadal appeared ready for a day at the beach -- and made the match look like one for a while.
An upset would have been a streak-buster: Federer has won 22 consecutive matches this year, and 18 consecutive finals since July 2003.
Nadal's deep groundstrokes with heavy topspin often forced Federer to hit balls chest high behind the baseline, and the result was a rash of mistakes by the four-time Grand Slam champion. He finished with 74 unforced errors.
Nadal also passed Federer repeatedly, kept him off balance with 177kph serves and crowd-pleasing athleticism as he yanked winners crosscourt or down the line from either corner. The capacity crowd loved it -- especially when Nadal punctuated his best shots with a leap and an uppercut.
Federer was less enchanted. He became so frustrated that when he shanked an overhead to fall behind 5-4 in the third set, he slammed down his racket.
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