Posted at 6:45 a.m., Sunday, May 13, 2007
Nadal first to win Rome Masters three times in a row
Associated Press
ROME — Rafael Nadal became the first player to win the Rome Masters three consecutive times by beating Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-2, 6-2 today.The 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.
The second-ranked Nadal needed only 1 hour, 24 minutes to overcome his opponent, who was never in contention against the two-time defending French Open champion.
"I've had the good fortune of coming here for three years and winning for three years," Nadal said. "It's an incredible sensation."
It was Nadal's fourth ATP title of the year. He also won in Indian Wells, Calif., Monte Carlo and Barcelona, and has 21-3 career record in finals.
"Fernando made way more errors than usual and I took advantage of it," said Nadal, who has not lost on clay since Igor Andreev beat him in the quarterfinals in Spain in April 2005.
Going into the final, Gonzalez held a 3-1 edge in career meetings with Nadal, including a win in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January.
But this time Nadal took control of the match early, breaking in the first game and never relinquishing his grip. He won the first set with a volley that sent the sixth-ranked Gonzalez tumbling in an effort to reach the ball.
The Spaniard took a 3-0 lead in the second set as the Australian Open finalist kept missing what is usually his most effective shot, a powerful forehand.
By the end of the match, Gonzalez had 31 unforced errors _ including 18 with his forehand _ to 14 from Nadal, who combined his solid ground strokes with uncharacteristic approaches to the net.
"It's hard to play Rafael. He played great tennis today," Gonzalez said.
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.
