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Record-breaker Nadal wins Rome title

A day after establishing a record for most wins on one surface, Rafael Nadal became the only player to win the Rome Masters three consecutive times.

It was a week filled with emotions for the second-ranked Spaniard, who beat Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday.

"I think I'm in the best moment of my career, playing better than ever, so [I'm] very happy for that," the second-ranked Nadal said.

It was Nadal's fourth ATP title of the year. He also won in Indian Wells, California; Monte Carlo, Monaco and Barcelona, Spain. He has a 21-3 career record in finals.

But before reaching the Rome final, the 20-year-old Nadal had to overcome a dizzy spell and an apparent stomach problem that forced him to go the hospital. He also spent nearly four hours on the court against Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals.

Nadal has not lost on clay since he was defeated by Igor Andreev in the quarter-finals in Valencia, Spain, in April 2005.

Sunday's victory extended Nadal's winning streak on clay to 77 matches. By reaching the final, the Spaniard had already broken John McEnroe's record for most victories on one surface.

"This guy is unbelievable on this surface," McEnroe said of Nadal shortly before the final. "He's like the [Bjorn] Borg of this era."

Going into Sunday's final, the sixth-ranked Gonzalez held a 3-1 edge in career meetings with Nadal, including a win in the Australian Open quarter-finals in January.

But Nadal took control of the match with a break in the opening game and never relinquished his grip. Down one set and two breaks, Gonzalez managed to get one break back, but Nadal kept the lead and finished off with a forehand winner.

"To win here for a third time is like a dream," Nadal said. "I've had the good fortune of coming here for three years and winning for three years ... It's an incredible sensation."

By the end of the match, Gonzalez had 31 unforced errors -- including 18 with what is usually is more effective shot, a powerful forehand. Nadal, who combined his solid ground strokes with uncharacteristic approaches to the net, had 14.

"When you go to the court in a final you don't think about a win 6-2, 6-2," Nadal said. "If Gonzalez takes control of a lot of points it's very difficult ... so I try to return the ball and be more aggressive."

"Fernando made way more errors than usual and I took advantage of it," Nadal added.

Gonzalez said he knew the reason for the loss.

"I think the reason was him," the 26-year-old Chilean said. "I tried to attack him all the time, tried to play very close to the baseline, tried to make my own opportunities and go to the net. But I couldn't do it."

"Sometimes he makes you play where you don't want to play," Gonzalez added. "It's tough because he's in good shape and he can be hours playing there."

Rome is a key clay-court warmup for the French Open, which begins May 27. Thomas Muster and Jaroslav Drobny -- a Czech player in the 1950s -- also won in Rome three times, but not in succession.

Teenager Ana Ivanovic overcame a foot injury to beat third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Sunday to win the German Open.

The 19-year-old Serb hobbled at times on her right foot against the 2004 US Open champion at the key French Open warmup.

"It was so painful in the third set that I went for a lot quickly, trying to hit winners fast," said Ivanovic, who had her foot taped in the second set. "But I'm just amazed to win. I didn't expect this. I just want to enjoy the moment."

Ivanovic said she didn't feel herself get injured, and expects to play in Rome next week.

Ivanovic pressured Kuznetsova into hitting a forehand long to close out the match to the cheers of 7,000 spectators, who rooted for the Serb after a shaky first set.

Ivanovic claimed her third title and eighth win against a top-10 player. She reached the top 10 yesterday when the new rankings were released.

"That has been my goal for some time now so I am very happy," Ivanovic said. "I now have more expectations for the French Open, but I don't want to put pressure on myself."

Kuznetsova played for the second time on Sunday and sometimes looked fatigued as the two hit hard, going for winners with few long rallies.

"I cannot say I was very fresh. The third set was tough," Kuznetsova said.

Two hours earlier, Kuznetsova eliminated Justine Henin 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a rain-delayed semi-final. She had lost 14 of 15 matches against the top-ranked Belgian, including last year's French Open final.

"It's mental, so beating her was very important," Kuznetsova said. "The final was a minus, but there were more pluses. I played great matches against Justine and Nadia [Petrova]."

Taiwanese tennis star Chan Yung-jan beat Australian left-hander Casey Dellacqua 6-4, 6-4 to claim Japan's Fukuoka Tennis Open Championship on Sunday.

It marked the third straight time that Chan has won the title.

Chan said she was delighted to capture the Fukuoka title again.
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