Rafael Nadal claimed his first title of the year after defeating world number one, Novak Djokovic, 6-0 4-6 6-1 in the Italian Open final in Rome on Sunday.
The Spaniard raced past Djokovic in the opening set in 39 minutes; the first 6-0 between the rivals in 141 previous sets.
Djokovic battled back in the second set, but Nadal sealed his ninth Italian Open title in two hours, 25 minutes.
It was his 81st tournament win, which takes him 34-33 ahead of Djokovic in Masters 1,000 Series titles.
Since 2005, Nadal has won at least one of the nine Masters 1,000 events in a season every year, except in 2015.
The 32-year-old was beaten by Djokovic in the Australian Open in January, and had also lost at the semi-final stage in his past four tournaments.
The 54th meeting between the world’s top two players saw the Serb, perhaps sufferings the effects of his two gruelling matches enroute the final, overwhelmed by Nadal, who was ruthless with his trademark forehand.
But the top seed showed his famous powers of resolve, firing some fierce returns as he took the next chance to break, which sealed the set in 59 minutes.
Nadal broke in the opening game of the decider, prompting Djokovic to destroy his racquet in frustration. He continued to falter with drop shot attempts, making Nadal to claim his 58th clay court title.
It reduced his career deficit against Djokovic to 28-26, improving his record on clay against him to 17-7.
