After losing in the semifinals of three straight clay-court tournaments, Nadal dominated for stretches against his longtime rival, Novak Djokovic, in a 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 win Sunday for a record-extending ninth Italian Open title. Finally I have a title,” Nadal told reporters. Djokovic was also coming off the Madrid Open title last week. Midway through the second set, Nadal chased down a lob with an over-the-shoulder shot and Djokovic’s ensuing overhead landed in the net to conclude a long point. As he walked to his chair after winning the second set, Djokovic waved his arms to get the crowd behind him.

Source: National Post May 19, 2019 12:48 UTC