Rafael Nadal ended the red-hot run of Greek upstart Stefanos Tsitsipas with a ruthless 6-2, 7-6(4) win on Sunday that gave the Spanish top seed his fourth Rogers Cup championship.
Tsitsipas, who was contesting the Masters 1000 final on his 20th birthday after four consecutive wins over top-10 players in Toronto, threw all he had at Nadal but was ultimately unable to beat the world number one.
“If you told me this two weeks ago I would not have believed it,” Nadal said in his on-court interview. “It’s a great way to start the hardcourt season. Winning in Toronto is so important. You don’t win Masters 1000s very often. It’s a very important victory for me and I’m very happy.”
Tsitsipas did well to serve out at love in the first game but Nadal took over as he broke back in each of his next two chances before sealing the opening set in 34 minutes when the world number 27 sent a routine forehand into the net.
The second set looked to be going much the same way until Tsitsipas mounted a late charge that briefly shifted momentum in his favour.
Nadal, serving for the match at 5-4 and having dropped only three points on serve the entire match up to that point, suddenly looked tight as Tsitsipas broke him and then held serve to pull within one game of levelling the contest.
“I got nervous, I played a terrible game,” said Nadal after winning his first hardcourt Masters title since Cincinnati in 2013. “But that’s how it is. You keep going. That’s part of the sport.
“Everybody gets tight at some moments. Today for me was an important match and I just made a couple mistakes but the positive news is I played my best match without a doubt.”
Nadal, much to the dismay of the many flag-waving Greek supporters in attendance, forced a tiebreak where he rallied back from a mini break and clinched the win with a crosscourt forehand winner for a record-extending 33rd Masters title.
The win made the 32-year-old Spaniard, who also won the Rogers Cup in 2005, 2008 and 2013, the fourth player in the professional era to win 80 titles, joining a club that includes Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (98) and Ivan Lendl (94).
Nadal withdraws from Cincinnati Masters for extra rest
World number one Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Masters as he adjusts his schedule to retain fitness ahead of his US Open title defence.
"I am very sorry to announce that I won't be playing in Cincinnati this year," Nadal wrote on Twitter late on Sunday.
"No other reason than personally taking care of my body and trying to keep as healthy as I feel now."
"I am very thankful to my friend Andre Silva, Tournament Director of the Cincinnati tournament, who after speaking to him on the phone understood what I said and understands the situation."
Nadal's withdrawal leaves world number two Roger Federer, who skipped the Toronto event, as the highest seed in Cincinnati.
The US Open starts on Aug. 27 in New York.
Halep beats Stephens in Montreal in repeat of French Open win
World number one Simona Halep turned back American Sloane Stephens 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4 to win the Rogers Cup women’s title in a rematch of their French Open finale in Montreal on Sunday.
Romanian Halep, who had beaten Stephens in Paris in June, claimed her second Montreal title in three years and third for the 2018 season.
She closed out the hard-fought match with her third ace of the day.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to talk again at this ceremony as a winner,” Halep said.
“I feel like I reached my best level of tennis, even if I had a long break before this tournament and I felt dead after the first day.”
Halep fended off four set points to claim a back-and-forth first set in a tiebreak after storming to a 4-1 lead before US Open champion Stephens fought back to level.
Halep broke the third-seeded Stephens with a crosscourt winner to take a 5-4 lead and serve for the set. But the American broke Halep with a forehand winner and held two set points on the Romanian’s serve at 6-5. A crosscourt backhand saved one and Stephens netted a return on the second.
Numerous forehand errors by Halep gave Stephens a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak and the American went up 6-4 before Halep rallied, crushing a backhand down the line to earn her first set point, which she converted.
Stephens led throughout the second set, breaking Halep twice, but the Romanian took control of the third set, turning a break into a 5-2 advantage.
Stephens rallied to within 5-4 before Halep, on her fourth match point, slammed her third ace of the match and dropped to her knees in triumph.
“You make me play better and better every time we play,” Halep said of Stephens.
The American returned the compliment.
“Even though I lost today, I literally left everything on the court,” Stephens said.
“Obviously I’m sad I lost, but losing to the number one player isn’t too bad.
“Every time I play her, she makes me a better player, she makes me raise my level.”
