Sun Apr 27 11:46:13 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Nadal tops Federer for fourth straight Monaco title

---

Monte Carlo, Monaco (Sports Network) - Spanish star Rafael Nadal edged World No. 1 Roger Federer to win the $3.57 million Masters Series Monte Carlo for the fourth straight year Sunday.

The second-seeded Nadal downed the top-seeded Swiss, 7-5, 7-5, for the third straight year in the final of this event, the third of nine Masters Series events this season.

Federer, who came out victorious in the semifinals when Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic retired, was up 4-0 in the second set before Nadal roared back to win seven of the final eight games in the frame.

With the win, Nadal took his 20th straight match on the clay in Monte Carlo and is now 24-1 lifetime here.

The 21-year-old is now 9-6 all-time versus Federer and a gaudy 7-1 on the slow surface. The Spaniard's only loss to Federer on clay came last year in Hamburg, Germany.

Nadal also became the first player in the Open era to capture four straight titles here.

It was the 10th Masters Series title for Nadal, who earned $570,000 for the victory, and his 24th career ATP singles crown.