Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal continued his strong campaign on clay this season after winning the Madrid Masters. The number four seed of the event defeated rising Dominic Thiem on Sunday to win his fifth Madrid singles title. The fan favorite handed a straight set loss to the 23-year-old number eight seed in a two-hour and 17 minute battle 7-6 (10-8) 6-4.
World number nine Thiem opened up an early 3-1 lead but Spain's Nadal was quick to make it 3-3. The opening set went to a tie-break as Nadal previously didn't convert any of his three consecutive set points on Thiem's serve in the 10th game to clinch a 6-4 win.
Thiem was close to ''stealing'' the set after having leads of 6-5 and 8-7 in the tie-break. However, that's when Nadal stormed back by winning three points in a row to clinch a 10-8 tie-break and the set.
30-year-old Nadal broke the serve of the Austrian tennis player Thiem in the first game of the second set and held on to his serve to win the set and the match eventually. Nadal fired four aces and converted 2-of-8 of his break point chances during the match while saving 4-of-5 of Thiem's break point tries.
The King of Clay at his best
Rafa Nadal has yet to lose a match on the slowest tennis surface this season. The 30-year-old has won three tournaments in a row, all played on the dirt -- Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Madrid.
He is on a 15-match winning streak.
The last two titles won by Nadal came after he defeated Dominic Thiem in a final. Thiem will remain with one ATP title earned this season -- Rio de Janeiro -- after falling to Nadal in back-to-back finals. Nadal now has a 4-1 head-to-head record over Thiem. After a loss suffered to Thiem at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires in February of last year, Nadal has won three matches in a row against the world number nine.
World number five Nadal dropped just one set on his way to winning the Madrid Masters title. The only player able to win a set against Nadal at the Spanish event was Italy's Fabio Fognini in a second-round matchup.
Another winning week on the horizon?
Rafa Nadal is now set to make a trip to Italy for the Rome Masters. Nadal, the number four seed of the event, has a first-round bye.
He will be meeting either fellow compatriot Nicolas Almagro or local player Andreas Seppi in the second-round. Nadal will be looking to win his eighth title in Rome and the first one there since 2013. Can the 30-year-old continue his unbeaten run on clay in Rome?
Back in 2010, Nadal ended the clay court season with a 22-0 record. Nadal was the winner of Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros seven years ago. Pulling off that type of dominance for the second time in his career would be a major accomplishment.
