Nadal wins seventh title this year
Nadal, playing his first event since an epic five-set victory over Federer in the Wimbledon final on July 6, claimed his seventh title in 2008 by winning his fifth final in a row since mid-May.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, making a smooth transition from grass to hardcourt, extended his winning steak to 29 matches.
“I win on every surface,” Nadal told reporters. “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.”
He overwhelmed his German opponent in 90 minutes, becoming the third youngest player behind Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors to accumulate 30 titles.
Nadal, who had won his four previous finals at Hamburg, Roland Garros, Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, has not lost since a second-round exit against compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Masters Series in Rome on May 7.
“Sure, for me the grass and hard is a little more difficult but I know if I am playing my best tennis I can play good here, too,” he said.“I am always trying to improve my tennis on every surface.”
The 31-year-old Kiefer, who won his last tournament in 2000 before Nadal had joined the Tour, would not be intimidated by the muscular Spaniard but was quickly put under pressure.
Nadal capitalised on his first break chance to surge ahead 3-2 then took the opening set with another break when Kiefer double-faulted.
It was not until the fifth game of the second set that the unseeded German got his first break opportunity but could not convert any of three chances, Nadal holding serve.
The muscular Spaniard immediately broke Kiefer to go up 4-2 and swept the last two games to take his second Canadian hardcourt title.
“Every tournament is very difficult. I won here in Canada in 2005, so to win the title here is very, very important for me, especially this year,” he said.
While Nadal has downplayed his unofficial status as the world’s top player he now heads to the Masters Series stop in Cincinnati with Federer’s No 1 ranking within his grasp.
“Every player wants to be No 1,” said Nadal. “I would love to be No 1 but I am No 2 right now. I’m very happy to be No 2.
“I have to be happy, very happy anyway if I am No 1 or No 2 because if I am No 2 it’s because in front of me there is an amazing player like Roger.”
Nadal had arrived in Toronto 770 points behind Federer but trimmed the lead to 300 with his victory and will have a chance to topple the Swiss master from the top spot.
Federer was upset by unseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon in his opening match at Toronto in the second round on Wednesday.
SAFINA TRIUMPHS
LOS ANGELES: Dinara Safina won her first title on US soil with a clinical 6-4, 6-2 destruction of Flavia Pennetta in the Los Angeles Classic final on Sunday.
The powerful Russian completely dominated the Italian’s serve, breaking her six successive times to claim her second title of the year.
“Today I wanted so baldy to win the final and before match I told my coach, ‘I’m nervous, I really want to get this final’,” fourth seed Safina told reporters.
Pennetta, who has equalled her career-high ranking of No 16, traded early blows with Safina but after she was broken to trail 5-3 she began to lose her way.
Safina, who upset world No 2 Jelena Jankovic in the semi-finals, clinched the first set when she forced Pennetta into a forehand error.
Safina broke Pennetta, the 10th seed, four times in the second set with a series of scorching winners.
“My serve wasn’t working because she was very consistent and I was always nervous because I knew if I didn’t make the first, with the second she was pushing the ball so hard,” Pennetta said.—Reuters