Rafael Nadal of Spain runs for the ball against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the men’s singles final at the Rogers Cup in Montreal August 11, 2019. — AFP pic
MONTREAL, Aug 12 — Rafael Nadal swept the last seven games in a 6-3, 6-0 rout of Daniil Medvedev yesterday to win his 35th ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal.
Nadal, defending the title he won last year in Toronto, needed just 70 minutes to add a fifth Canadian title to his resume.
He extended his record for Masters 1000 triumphs, and now has two more than Novak Djokovic’s 33.
The Spanish star was well-rested after France’s Gael Monfils withdrew from their scheduled semi-final because of an ankle injury on Saturday.
And he breezed past Medvedev, a rising Russian star who had never before faced off against the 18-time Grand Slam champion.
Nadal took 40 minutes to win the opening set but raced through the second, Medvedev firing a backhand long on the top seed’s first match point.
Nadal is due to compete next week in Cincinnati, where he is seeded second behind Djokovic in the US Open tune-up. — AFP