Nadal topples birthday boy Tsitsipas in Toronto final

Rafael Nadal (ESP) poses with the Rogers Championship trophy in the Rogers Cup tennis tournament at Aviva Centre – USATODAY Sports

TORONTO (Reuters): 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

Reuters : World number one Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Masters as he adjusts his schedule to retain fitness ahead of his U.S. Open title defence.

The 32-year-old Spaniard swept aside Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim his 80th career title with victory at the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Sunday.

“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 U.S. Open starts on Aug. 27 in New York.