Rafael Nadal of Spain successfully defended his men’s title at the French Open on Sunday, beating world number one Roger Federer of Switzerland 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) after three hours on the Philippe Chatrier court.
The 20-year-old Spaniard extended his record winning streak on clay to 60 matches with the 100th victory of his career on the surface, as he remains unbeaten at Roland Garros since winning on his debut last year.
After overcoming initial nerves in the first set, the world number two hammered home his dominance against his opponent, claiming his sixth win in seven meetings with 24-year-old Federer.
The loss ended Federer’s bid for his first French Open title and a win which would make him just the third man to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
The Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion had been bidding to become the first man to achieve the feat since Rod Laver in 1969.
He would have become the sixth man to achieve a career slam, the last being American Andre Agassi, who completed the set in Paris seven years ago. — AFP
