Rafa nets seventh Italian Open title after Federer's dramatic defeat
Monday, May 20, 2013 @ 9:36 AM
A SPECTACULAR win for Spain's Rafa Nadal against Roger Federer in Rome left fans open-mouthed as the Swiss world number two crashed out and handed his rival his seventh Italian Open title on a plate.
In just 68 minutes, Mallorca-born Rafa wiped the floor with Federer, ending their 30th match against each other on a score of 6-1 6-3.
“I didn't have my best day,” Federer admitted afterwards, saying that despite trying to 'play offensively', Rafa had more topspin than anyone else he had played last week in Rome, marking a dramatic change for Federer and meaning the match 'did not go as he had hoped'.
Federer's forehand did not help him and he was broken in the third game, having got off to a poor start with numerous unforced mistakes, whilst Rafa's stunning backhand at the beginning of the fourth game netted him his 11th point out of 13 and put him at a strong advantage.
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