Spanish top seed Rafael Nadal battled back from two sets down to beat Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) at the â,¬2,1-million Madrid Masters on Sunday.
The dramatic match took nearly four hours, with the French Open champion notching up his 11th title of the season.
He now stands level with world number-one rival Roger Federer in the title stakes; each man has now won four Masters Series events as well.
The win ended a 16-match winning streak for Ljubicic, who had lifted trophies at his previous two events in Metz and Vienna and who, on Sunday, fired down 32 aces and struck 87 winners on the way to his first loss since September.
Nineteen-year-old Nadal improved to 79-10 this season, winning an event in which he had been a doubtful starter due to knee problems.
During his run to victory, he wore elastic knee bands that he said were touched by holy water from the shrine at Lourdes.
Meanwhile, Ljubicic has put him into contention for a place in the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai next month, limited to the eight best in the world.
Nadal was thrilled with the home victory.
”Thanks to the entire crowd which supported me,” said the world number two. ”It was a tough match for both of us.
”I have to thank the doctors who helped me all week with my knees. This is great; it’s impossible to say how happy I am.”
Nadal has not lost a final since a loss to Federer in early April at the Miami Masters.
The Spaniard and Ljubicic, who will spearhead Croatia’s Davis Cup final challenge against Slovakia in December, joyfully sprayed each other, the ball boys and girls and television cameras with champagne in an on-court victory celebration.
Nadal later happily posed with the 20 or so young female models who served as ball girls.
”It was bad luck for me playing Rafa, a Spanish guy, here in Madrid,” joked Ljubicic to the crowd.
”You were all against me! But it was really a beautiful feeling to play. I feel good for Rafa; he’s young and will win a lot more matches. I wish him a healthy future.”
After taking the final set into a tiebreaker, Nadal started with a 3-0 lead and claimed victory on the first of three match points when Ljubicic fired a forehand into the net.
At the start, the Croatian unleashed a surprise as he broke back after losing the opening game, levelling at 2-2 and taking the lead 5-3.
A game later, the Croatian sealed the opener with his eighth ace. He carried the momentum into the second set, putting Nadal under intense pressure as the Spaniard was forced to save three break points in the opening game.
Ljubicic grabbed a 2-1 lead after taking double break points, nudging ahead when the top seed put a forehand out.
One-way traffic flowed for the Croatian, with a 3-1 lead coming easily after a hammer forehand that sent the Spaniard retrieving into a far corner, only to leave Ljubicic with an easy tap winner over the net.
The eighth seed kept his momentum, breaking the teenager again for 5-2 and saving two break points with winners in the next game before firing over back-to-back aces for a two-set-to-love lead.
After little more than an hour on court, a full-house crowd of Spaniards was reeling, with Ljubicic picking up where he left off in his early demolition job.
The Croatian escaped danger after his second double-fault of the afternoon left him facing a break point in the fourth game of the third set.
The immediate problem was solved with a huge serve, followed by a 15th ace before levelling at 2-2.
But Nadal kept his the pressure securing a 3-1 lead from a loose Ljubicic volley.
The Spaniard stretched his comeback effort out to 5-2, winning the set on his first chance with a winner to the corner to end the 52-minute third.
With the tide starting to turn, Nadal took advantage, holding on after breaking for 2-1 in the fourth to take the contest into a deciding fifth set as Ljubicic’s level dropped. — Sapa-AFP