Rafael Nadal picked up his seventh title of the 2010 ATP season as he saw off Gael Monfils in straight sets at the Japan Open.
Nadal was making his debut in at the event and needed just seventh seven minutes to secure a seventh win in eight meetings over the Frenchman.
Nadal had been made to battle in his semi-final clash with Viktor Troicki but the Spaniard was back to his dominant best in the opening set.
He broke Monfils in the second and sixth games of that opening set as he dominated all aspects of play.
But the Frenchman did suffer a fall an appeared to have hurt his ankle; however this seemed to improve as the match progressed.
He took the opening set 6-1 before Monfils finally found his game and began to make the match more competitive.
The Frenchman got his serve under control in that second set as he started to rally better with the world number one.
Nadal had just one chance to break Monfils in the second, the Spaniard didn’t face a single break point throughout the match, and he took that chance in game eleven.
6-5 up Nadal was left to serve out the match, and he wrapped up a 6-1 7-5 victory to lift yet another title this season.
Speaking to the ATP after the match he said: “Every tournament is very important; it is nice to win another big title like this one.
"I won a lot this year but I have to appreciate how difficult it is and how much hard work you have to do. I improved a lot my serve and it is a big thing on a surface as quick as here in Tokyo.
“Gael is a great player; I played very well today and that's why I won. I wasn't really tired after the semi-final [against Troicki]. [Gael] beat me before in Doha in 2009 and we had other tough matches."
And there is no rest for Nadal as he will be back in action this week at the Shanghai Masters even. The Spaniard leads the star studded field as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are also in action.
The event will also see Roger Federer back in action for the first time since his US Open semi final defeat to Djokovic in September.
Djokovic should have played David Ferrer in the final of the Beijing Open today but the match was suspended as the Serb lead 3-1 in the opening set.
The match, as well as the women’s singles final, is scheduled for tomorrow.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
by Helen Earnshaw
find me on 
and follow me on 
