Top seed Rafael Nadal has won the China Open title. Spain's Nadal defeated rising Australian Nick Kyrgios to lift the Beijing trophy. The Spaniard lost just three games in the China Open final 6-1 6-2.
Nadal saved a break point in the opening game of the match. Kyrgios responded by saving five break points in the second game. The Australian also saved one more break point two games later.
Nadal managed to break Kyrgios for the first time in the match in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead. Nadal clinched the opener following his second break earned in the eighth game.
The No. 1 seed won the last four games of the first set.
Nadal started the second set with two break points saved in the first game. Nadal then broke Kyrgios to take a 2-0 lead before he saved another break point in the third game. The Spaniard saved the Australian's three game points in the fourth game to take a 4-0 lead.
Kyrgios finally stopped Nadal's run in the sixth game. The Australian served out to reduce the deficit to 5-1. However, the No. 1 seed then had no problems serving out for the match in the seventh game.
The match was much closer than the result might suggest. Nadal was clutch when needed most. Nadal and Kyrgios were tied at 2-2 in the first set when the Spaniard went on to win nine games in a row.
The head-to-head now on Nadal's side
Nadal converted 4-of-12 of his break point chances in the China Open final. The No. 1 seed also saved each four of Kyrgios' break point opportunities. The match came to an end after an hour and 32 minutes of play.
Nadal now has three wins and two losses against Kyrgios at the ATP level. Previously, Nadal beat Kyrgios on the clay of the Rome Masters and Madrid Masters.
On the other side, the Australian earned wins over the Spaniard at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Masters.
Nadal once again a China Open champion
2005 Beijing champion Nadal has captured his second title at the China Open. Nadal was playing his first tournament since his winning run at the US Open, Overall, the Spaniard now has 75 ATP titles overall in his collection.
It was his sixth title of the 2017 season. Nadal is now hoping to win his first Shanghai title at next week's Shanghai Rolex Masters.
On the other side, China Open runner-up Kyrgios will remain on three ATP titles earned. The Australian also fell short in the Cincinnati Masters final to Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov this past August. The 22-year-old is on the verge of finishing the season without a title.
