With everything to play for, Rafael Nadal saved arguably his best performance for last. The World No. 1 exhibited yet another ruthless display of aggression to emerge with the Roland Garros title on Sunday.
Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and 42 minutes to seize the Coupe des Mousquetaires for an unprecedented 11th time. The Spaniard saves his top level for championship occasions like these, and Sunday's affair on Court Philippe Chatrier was no exception.
It is unfathomable. Eleven titles at a single Grand Slam tournament. 'La Undécima' lifts Nadal to truly historic territory. No other man or woman has achieved the feat in the Open Era.
At the age of 32, Nadal continues to strengthen his legacy on his most dominant surface. Less than two months after lifting an 11th trophy at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and following that up with another 'Undécima' at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, the Spaniard completed the set with his victory on Sunday at Roland Garros.
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With the victory, the Manacor native adds a 17th Grand Slam crown, which draws him to within three of Roger Federer's all-time record of 20. Furthermore, Nadal became just the fourth man in the Open Era to win three or more major titles after turning 30. It is an exclusive club that also includes Federer, Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.
For the second straight year, Nadal leaves the European clay-court season with a staggering 24-1 mark. His only blemish was a quarter-final defeat to Dominic Thiem in his home capital of Madrid. But the Austrian was unable to find the formula to upset his Spanish opponent twice in one campaign.
Thiem made it a tight encounter early in the opener, with the first set lasting 67 minutes. The Austrian broke back after Nadal seized an immediate break for 2-0, but was unable to sustain the same level of energy and pressure on the Spaniard throughout the match.
Two breaks in the second set proved critical and Nadal would roll from there, claiming the decisive break for 2-1 in the third after escaping a 0/40 deficit in the opening game. He secured his 11th Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy after two hours and 42 minutes, firing a service winner on his fifth match point.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2JvsPjf
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