Nadal cruises to another win on clay - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

Nadal cruises to another win on clay

Rafael Nadal's 77th consecutive win on clay was enough for him to win the Rome Master Series event as he demolished Chilean opponent Fernando Gonzalez 6-2 6-2 to display his mastery of the slow red surface.

The victory underlined his status as favourite for the French Open which starts later this month. This was also Nadal's third consecutive tournament win in the Eternal City.

Nadal showed no ill effects from his gruelling semi-final with Russia's Nikolai Davydenko, a win that helped him eclipse the record for consecutive wins on one surface set by John McEnroe who racked up 75 victories on indoor carpet between 1983 and 1985.

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