Nadal defends his title

With baffling ease, Rafael Nadal of Spain defended his title at Rogers Cup presented by National Bank with a win over Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Sunday.

In doing so, the World No.2 adds a fifth Canadian crown—his third in Montréal—to his crammed trophy case. Still the triumph is the first hard court title he has ever defended. He efficiently disposed of Medvedev in two sets (6-3, 6-0) in a surprisingly quick clash. After 70 minutes of one-sided struggle, Nadal jogged to the net to shake his opponent’s hand and raise his 35th Masters 1000, 20th hard-court and 83rd ATP title.

Medvedev was playing in his first Masters 1000 and second consecutive ATP final after losing to Nick Kyrgios in Washington last Sunday. Once again in his young career, nerves got the better of him. He made 28 unforced errors: a significant amount for such a short match.

“I have more to learn. I’ll be back next year with new knowledge to approach important matches,” recognized Medvedev.

The newly crowned champion had only praise for his rival.

“He has so much talent, but some days are better than others,” said Nadal. “I’m very comfortable here, in Montréal, where I feel almost at home. And I’m very impressed with Tennis Canada’s work and the progress of Canadian tennis. It’s encouraging for the future of our sport.” 

Medvedev certainly tried to compete from the baseline but Nadal was unbeatable. At the net, where he had been successful all week, the 23-year-old was met with devasting passing shots and surgically precise lobs by the King of Clay. The Russian earned one break that he was unable to convert and lost four. Rafael Nadal racked up 59 points versus 36 for Medvedev, who was never a threat to the reigning champion.