Rafael Nadal’s comeback from a seven-month injury lay-off gathered pace as he brushed aside Argentine David Nalbandian 6-2 6-3 to win the Brazil Open yesterday, his first title since the 2012 French Open.
The Spanish world number five, playing only his second tournament following his return from injury, broke twice in the first set and recovered from 3-0 down in the second to win in 78 minutes.
The 11-times grand slam champion, who said he still suffers pain in his troublesome knees, has chosen to return to action on the clay courts he favours as he tries to work his way back to match fitness.
In Rotterdam, Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro clinched his first title of the year as he overcame Julien Benneteau 7-6 6-3 in the final of the World Indoor Tournament.
Del Potro, beaten in last year’s final by Roger Federer, lost his serve in the first set but Benneteau had no answer to his solid baseline performance which earned him the tiebreak 7-2.
An early break in the second set meant Del Potro became only the second Argentine after Guillermo Vilas to triumph at the tournament.
Azarenka joy
Meanwhile, outgoing world number one Victoria Azarenka showed that being second best was not an option for her as she outclassed Serena Williams 7-6 2-6 6-3 to win the Qatar Open yesterday.
Williams will replace Azarenka on top of the WTA rankings when the new list is released today but the American’s hopes of capping off a memorable week with a 48th singles title were dashed by an opponent who extended her 2013 record to 12-0.
Williams’s game sparkled as brightly as the diamond ring on her playing right hand during the second set but it was Azarenka who was running rings around her in the third.
The Belarussian leapt to a 3-0 lead and never relinquished that advantage, polishing off Williams with an unreturnable serve in just under 2-1/2 hours.
In case anyone in the crowd had forgotten that she had entered the tournament as top dog in the world rankings, she celebrated by holding both arms aloft and wagging her index fingers towards the night sky of Doha.