Roger Federer had the perfect response to questions about his status as the world's top-ranked player – he ended Rafael Nadal's winning streak on clay at 81 matches.
Federer beat Nadal 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the final of the Hamburg Masters yesterday to win his first clay-court title in two years and snap out of a slump during which he failed to win a title in four events. It was his worst run since he became No. 1 in February 2004.
Federer also gave himself a major boost one week before the French Open, the second major of the year and the only Grand Slam he hasn't won.
“It was an incredible performance from my side,” Federer said. “I had a great day. It's nice to be playing well again. It's my first title on clay in a couple of years.”
Nadal, who had never lost to Federer on clay in five previous matches and leads the overall series 7-4, was impressed.
“He is unbelievable,” the Spaniard said.
Nadal, ranked No. 2 in the world behind Federer, had been unbeaten on the surface since April 2005, a run that included 13 titles.
“If I have to lose against anyone, then he is the man,” Nadal said. “I am not sad to lose to the best in the world.”
Federer said he finally found the formula to play against Nadal on clay.
“I was dictating play,” Federer said. “His streak was phenomenal – 81 matches in a row on clay is fantastic.”
At the start of the match, it didn't look as if Nadal's streak would be ending.
He raced through the first set, with Federer making many errors and having trouble with his serve. But the match turned completely when Federer broke serve for a 2-1 lead in the second, after fighting off two break points.
Nadal began to struggle with his shots and even his fierce forehand frequently began to go long or wide. The Spaniard, who won the Rome Masters series one week ago, appeared to be running out of steam.
Federer took advantage and won a set at love against Nadal for the second time since beating him in the final at Wimbledon last year.
Elsewhere
Jelena Jankovic defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-1 in Rome to win the Italian Open and join Justine Henin as the only three-time winners on the women's tour this year.
In Greece, Pete Sampras relied on his still-powerful serve to defeat Todd Martin 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 in the final of the Athens Champions Cup.
In Poertschach, Austria, Vincent Spadea upset fifth-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the Hypo Group International.
Colleges
The NCAA women's championships resemble a Pac-10 tournament. Three teams from the conference advanced to the semifinals in Athens, Ga., with top-seeded Stanford beating Miami 4-1, 12th-seeded UCLA upsetting No. 4 Florida 4-3 and No. 10 Cal stunning second-seeded Georgia 4-1. Third-seeded Georgia Tech also advanced, beating Notre Dame 4-1. Today, Stanford plays UCLA and Cal plays Georgia Tech.
