Spain’s Rafael Nadal became the second-youngest winner to date of a Masters Series tournament when he beat defending champion Guillermo Coria of Argentina 6-3, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 in a thrilling Monte Carlo title showdown in Monaco on Sunday.
The 18-year-old left-hander, seeded 11th, also collected his third title of the year and took his record on clay to 20-2 to hammer home his credentials as a firm favourite for the French Open, which gets under way in Paris in five weeks’ time.
At 18 years and 10 months, Nadal is just five months older than the United States’s Michael Chang, who remains the youngest winner of a Masters when he took the Toronto title in 1990.
Nadal, who was two points from victory against world number one Roger Federer in the Miami Masters two weeks ago and overcame a third set wobble in Monaco, is also the first teenager to win a Masters event since Andrei Medvedev in Hamburg in 1994.
Nadal paid tribute to the tournament organisers who had staged the event despite the mourning for the principality’s ruler Prince Rainier, whose funeral was held on Friday.
”It has been very difficult for everybody here this week because of the prince’s death, and the tournament did a great job in the circumstances,” said Nadal, whose win in Monaco, his fourth career title, should push him up to number 12 in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday. ”As far as the final is concerned, it’s a great feeling to have beaten such a good player as Coria.”
Coria, the sixth seed, was playing in his third successive final in Monaco, but he never settled in the early stages on Sunday.
He grumbled about the showers, while Nadal refused to allow him any rhythm courtesy of his quickfire movement around the court and his booming, accurate forehand.
The Spaniard, dressed in three-quarter-length white pants, recovered from being broken in the first game to level at 3-3 when Coria double-faulted and then took the set after 53 minutes when the Argentinian netted a forehand.
Nadal broke immediately in the first game of the second set and when he went to 2-0, he had taken seven games on the trot. Another Coria double fault handed the Spaniard a 4-1 lead.
Coria’s despondency with the damp, overcast conditions led to tournament referee Alan Mills as well as supervisor Thomas Karlberg being summoned to the centre court, but play continued as the sun appeared.
Nadal fought off two break points to lead 5-1 and then broke to take the second set after another 38 minutes, when Coria coaxed a tired forehand wide.
To highlight his misery, the Argentinian sent down 23 unforced errors to Nadal’s nine in the second set.
But Coria staged a battling comeback in the third set, taking it 6-0 after another 32 minutes, reducing his error count to just nine and allowing the Spaniard only 12 points.
Nadal came back at the start of the fourth, breaking Coria with a sweet volley and then held for 3-0 with a running backhand that left the Argentinian stranded.
The Spaniard then went to 4-1 with a wrong-footing lob, but squandered two break points in the sixth game and was then broken himself as Coria came back to 3-4 and then 4-4 with a confident service game.
Nadal stopped the rot and saved two break points to lead 5-4 with a much-needed ace, but Coria, serving to stay in the final, held his nerve to go 5-5 with a love game.
Nadal also held to love to edge ahead 6-5 and took the final on his second match point with a driving, deep forehand after three hours and seven minutes.
Meanwhile, India’s Leander Paes and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and Montenegro won the doubles title with a walkover when the US’s Mike and Bob Bryan were forced to scratch the match.
Mike Bryan had a shoulder injury. — Sapa-AFP