Rafael Nadal has regained his winning form, thrashing Fernando Verdasco in an all-Spanish final to win the clay court Monte Carlo Masters for the sixth year in a row.
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Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after defeating Fernando Verdasco of Spain in the final match of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters tournament in Monaco, Sunday, April 18, 2010.(AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau) |
It was the second seed's first title since the Rome Masters last year.
Nadal was favorite for the match, having won the tournament the past five years and he did not disappoint his legion of fans.
Just like in 2007 and '08, Nadal did not drop a set during the tournament, and signaled his intent early by taking Verdasco's opening service game. He then held serve in the next game, before racing through the first set to take it by six games to love.
Verdasco, who has won four career titles but was seeking his first Masters trophy, started the second set aggressively and got a huge roar when he finally held his serve.
But that was to be his only game of the match as Nadal was on fire.
The former world number one was covering every part of the court, showing his agility, strength and powerful hitting that were all his hallmarks on clay before his dip in form last year, and injury.