Nadal, Williams win Madrid Open titles
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E-mail Xinhua, May 13, 2013
Rafael Nadal sped to victory in the final of the Madrid Open this Sunday as he defeated number 16 seed Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4.
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Nadal crushes Wawrinka to win Madrid Open final. |
The number 5 seed showed he is still a force to be reckoned with on his favored red clay surface as he took his third Madrid Open title in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
Nadal raced into a 4-0 lead in the first set against a rival, who appeared tired and who also needed treatment for a rib problem.
Wawrinka salvaged two service games, but Nadal held his next two serves to take the first set in just 31 minutes.
The first four games of the second set went with serve as Wawrinka tried to take the game to Nadal, but the Spaniard appeared to have taken a decisive break in the fifth game. Wawrinka showed his fighting spirit to break back and take the set to 3-3 only to lose the next game as he committed a double fault at exactly the wrong moment.
That allowed Nadal to move 4-3 ahead and that soon became 5-3 as he held his serve.
Wawrinka held his serve and that left Nadal serving for the title: although he lost the first point, he won the next four to win match in 1 hour and 11 minutes.
"I am really happy and maybe this win is more special because of where I have been after last season. It's couldn't be better," said Nadal, who had thrown himself onto the clay in joy after winning the final point.
"I want to congratulate 'Stan' for his excellent week here. The only way to win these games is to play well against them,. They have been intense games," he said.
In the women's competition, Serena Williams lived up to her billing as top seed as she swept aside number two seed Maria Sharapova in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 to retain the title she won last year. It is the 50th title she has won in her career.
Williams had beaten Sharapova in three sets in Miami at the end of March, and has now won 13 matches against the Russian to just 2 defeats.
She was helped on her way in her first final on red clay since 2002 by the fact that Sharapova never looked comfortable on her serve, committing five double faults in her first three service games, as Williams moved two breaks ahead.
Williams gained confidence and look for her shots and the American hit some powerful winning drives before sealing the set with a hanging return.
Sharapova rallied at the start of the second set and broke Williams' serve, while holding her first two service games to move 3-1 ahead, but another double fault allowed Williams to break back and level the set and from that point there was no looking back as another Sharapova double fault and an over-hit return in the final game helped Williams to victory.
She celebrated by being lifted into the air by the ballboys on the main court in Madrid's Caja Magica, where the event was held.
"I don't know how many more (titles) I can win. Like I say every day, who knows if I'll ever win another title? I just want to live the moment and the dream every chance I get," she said afterwards, before saying that despite all her success, she doesn't tire of the game.
"I feel like every moment that I play, I just feel like I'm so fortunate to be out there and healthy and to have an opportunity to play something, a sport, and be really good at it," commented Williams.
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