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Nalbandian routs Nadal in Paris

David Nalbandian holds his trophy surrounded by the ``Blue Belle Girls'' from the Lido de Paris after winning the final of the Paris Tennis Masters tournament against Rafael Nadal on Sunday. PHOTO: AP

David Nalbandian of Argentina handed out a tennis lesson to world No. 2 Rafael Nadal to win his second straight Masters Series title in Paris on Sunday.

The Argentine won at a canter 6-4, 6-0, taking nine games in a row from 3-4 down in the first set against an increasingly disillusioned-looking Spaniard, who has been struggling with his fitness since the summer.

It was Nalbandian's second straight win in one of the Masters Series tournaments having defeated world No.1 Roger Federer in the final of the Madrid Masters last month.

He also defeated Federer in Paris at the third round (last 16) stage, but unless someone withdraws through injury he will not be able to compete in the Masters Series finals in Shanghai later this month.

The win in Paris hoists him to ninth in the ATP Masters Series race, but only eight players qualify.

"I played magnificently all week and in Madrid and I [was] so happy," said Nalbandian, who has hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks after what had been for him a disappointing season.

In Madrid, he defeated the top three players in the world -- Federer, Nadal and Djokovic and in Paris he once again despatched the top two -- Federer and Nadal.

The former world No.3 lost only one set in Paris -- to Spain's David Ferrer in the quarter-finals.

Nalbandian admitted the two Masters Series triumphs in a row represented a high point in his career.

"I was injured the first part of the year," Nalbandian said. "So it wasn't very easy for me to come back and play good tennis."

For Nadal, it was the end to a 25-match winning streak in Paris taking in three French Open titles and his four wins to get to Sunday's final.

Lindsay Davenport won the 53rd WTA title of her career on Sunday, defeating third-seeded Julia Vakulenko 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the Bell Challenge in Quebec City.

It was Davenport's second victory in just three tournaments this year.

After taking nearly a year off because of pregnancy, the three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 returned to win the title in Bali in September.

She ousted three seeded players on the way to that unexpected title, then followed up with a semi-final appearance in Beijing the following week.

A month later, the 31-year-old American was still showing no signs of rust in Quebec City.

In five matches at the indoor tournament she posted four straight-set wins. Only Vera Zvonareva was able to mount a real challenge before falling 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3 to Davenport in the semi-finals.

Vakulenko, 24, was playing in her first career final.

Davenport broke Vakulenko to love to take the first set, and used her powerful serve to dominate the second.

"My game plan was to serve well and just hold my serve," Davenport said. "Once I was able to break her at the end of the first set, that helped my momentum. I was focused on my serving and knew the rest of it would take care of itself."

With the victory, Davenport is tied with Monica Seles for eighth on the WTA's all-time list.

Davenport had said she didn't plan to return to competition after starting a family. But she admitted she began to feel the urge to play just weeks after giving birth to her son, Jagger, in June.

She said her brief experience of playing since she became a mother had put a different spin on the experience.

"Just the journey back has been greater than I could have anticipated," Davenport said. "It has been a much different experience coming back this time around -- I just feel a lot less pressure, and I'm just trying to enjoy it as I go. I haven't set any goals. It's kind of undefined."
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