Nadal wins fifth Madrid Open title

Rafael Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 in the Madrid Open final to win his third straight title and continue his good form heading into the French Open.

Nadal withstood a tough challenge from the ninth-ranked Thiem, converting on his fourth match point to earn his 15th straight victory on clay and tie Novak Djokovic’s record of 30 career titles in Masters 1000 events.

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The triumph at his home tournament gave Nadal his 72nd career title, and 51st on clay.

It was Nadal’s second straight win against the 23-year-old Austrian, coming two weeks after the Barcelona Open final, when the fifth-ranked Spaniard cruised to victory in straight sets.

Thiem, playing in his first Masters 1000 final, broke early in the first set, before Nadal broke back to push the opener to a tiebreak. The second was a similarly tight affair, with Thiem saving four match points before the Spaniard secured his fifth Madrid crown.

“Today is a day to be satisfied, to be happy and to have this trophy,” Nadal told the ATP. “This is a very emotional period of the season. I really enjoy these tournaments. I just try to go for all of them. I try to compete. In Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, I did well, same here. I hope to do the same in Rome.”