Spain’s Rafael Nadal holds the French Open trophy

[Albert E]

Spain’s Rafael Nadal holds the French Open trophy he won defeating Switzerland’s Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in Paris on Sunday

Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the French Open final for the third year running on Sunday and joined Swedish legend Bjorn Borg as the only man to win four straight titles at Roland Garros. The Spaniard scored a stunning 6-1 6-3 6-0 win over the Swiss World No 1, taking the last nine games of the match, in stark contrast to the two fourset battles he edged to see off Federer in the two previous finals.

The Spaniard was at his relentless best as he tore Federer apart in one hour 48 minutes to deny the Swiss a career Grand Slam and equal Bjorn Borg’s feat of four consecutive titles at Roland Garros.

“I played a perfect match,” said Nadal, who was presented with the trophy by Borg. “I’m sorry for that final but you played well,” he told Federer. “I want to thank Roger for his attitude on the court.”

Federer, beaten in the final by Nadal in the two previous years, had promised to attack but made too many errors early on as Nadal ripped through the first set.