AN ATP MASTERS SERIES EVENT
13th - 21st OCTOBER
MMMM 2006 : 2006
Federer claims tenth title of the season with first win in Spain
Roger Federer began re-writing his tennis history in Spain, winning his first title in the country with a resounding 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Fernando Gonzalez Sunday in the final of the Madrid Masters.
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(DPA) The Swiss top seed claimed the 43rd title of his career and 12th at the Masters level, with his final two events before next month's season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai set at home in Basel next week to be followed by Paris Bercy. The meticulous Federer came to Spain with a job to do - and performed to perfection. "It's been a fantastic week, it's a great day in my career," said the winner of his last 19 matches, now 82-5 on a season of ten titles. "I missed here in 2004 with fatigue and I was injured last year," said the winner. "I finally made it back here and I'm able to win it. Federer again overwhelmed Chile's Gonzalez, notching a second love set in as many days as after doing the same to Argentine David Nalbandian in the semi-final. The Swiss stands 8-0 versus the Chilean, with Gonzalez winning just two sets, the last in Monte Carlo 18 months ago. Federer and Spain's Rafael Nadal, the defending champion beaten in the quarter-finals, are the only men so far automatically qualified for Shanghai. The chase - with Gonzalez standing on ninth - continues over the last two weeks of the regular ATP season. Federer won with just 29 enforced errors, more than making up with 11 aces and 37 winners. The Swiss has now claimed in excess of ten titles for the third year in a row after 11 in 2004 and 2005. Federer came up the worse for wear after he and Gonzalez go into a champagne fight on the podium. With the 48-minute first set perhaps too long for his liking, Federer tightened the screws on the way to what turned into a quick victory. Gonzalez save a desperation match point before a service winner from the Swiss produced a return error. |