Nadal march goes on in Toronto - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

Nadal march goes on in Toronto

Rafael Nadal insisted he is capable of winning on any surface after he closed in on the world number one spot by adding a hardcourt title to his impressive 2008 triumphs in Toronto on Sunday.

Nadal completed his run at the Rogers Cup with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Nicolas Kiefer for his seventh title of the season and the 30th of his career.

"I win on every surface," Nadal said. "I win on grass, on hard, on indoor, and on clay, too. So if I am playing my best tennis I can win on every surface."

The 22-year-old Spaniard, who defended his clay court French Open crown last month before unseating world number one Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, made a seamless transition from the lawns of the All England Club to the hard courts of this US dollars 2.6 million event, winning 10 of 11 sets over his five-match march.

Nadal has won 29 straight matches and has collected an ATP Tour-leading 61 wins this season.

On Sunday, he became the third-youngest player, behind only Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors, to record his 30th career title.

Up next for Nadal is next week's Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati.

If he wins the title at the hardcourt event, Nadal would surpass Federer for the top spot in the rankings and end the Swiss superstar's record 234-week reign as the world number one.

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