Agence France Presse
Buenos Aires, March 2: Rafael Nadal won his first title in nearly nine months, beating Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-1 to win the Argentina Open singles crown.
Nadal’s triumph was his first since he won a ninth French Open title at Roland Garros last June. His 46th career clay court title is the second-most all-time behind the 49 by Argentina’s Guillermo Vilas.
It was Nadal’s 65th career crown on all surfaces, moving him into sole possession of fifth place in the Open Era all-time list led by the 109 titles of American Jimmy Connors.
The Spaniard, who battled injury last year after his Roland Garros triumph, exited early in Qatar and fell in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January. He had fallen to fourth in the world after a semifinal loss to Italian Fabio Fognini in Rio de Janeiro last week.
“I’m coming off a season that has not been easy – injuries, accidents,” said Nadal, who had to cope with wrist trouble and an appendectomy in 2014. “The beginning of this year has been a bit tricky after some time out, but little by little we have found positive feelings.”
The 28-year-old left-hander needed one hour and 26 minutes on court to notch his sixth victory over close friend Monaco in as many meetings on clay.
After securing a tight first set with a break of serve in the seventh game, Nadal stormed through the second. He broke Monaco twice en route to a 4-0 lead, then broke him again in the final game, clinching the win on his first match point when Monaco sent a forehand long.
