Rafael Nadal continued his impressive form heading into the French Open, winning his third straight title on clay Sunday with a 7-6 (8), 6-4 victory over Dominic Thiem in the Madrid Open final.
Nadal withstood a tough challenge from the ninth-ranked Thiem, converting on his fourth match point to earn his 15th straight victory and tie Novak Djokovic's record of 30 career titles in Masters 1000 events.
The triumph at his home tournament gave Nadal his 72nd career title, and 52nd on clay. It will also move him from fifth to fourth in the rankings, ahead of Roger Federer.
"To try to win Roland Garros, you don't need to be No 4 or No 1 or No 5, what you need is to play tennis very well," Nadal said. "I don't think it changes a lot for me. What I'm really happy about is to achieve a title like this here in Madrid. I see myself being able to win important titles and achieve my goals."
It was Nadal's second straight win against the 23-year-old Austrian, coming two weeks after the Barcelona Open final when the Spaniard cruised to victory in straight sets.
Nadal also won in Monte Carlo last month. It was Nadal's fifth title in eighth Madrid Open finals, and the first since 2014. His other titles came in 2005, 2010 and 2013.
Nadal moves to 4th
Nadal's climb one place to fourth in the world on the strength of his Madrid Masters win was confirmed in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday.
The Spaniard is now 15-0 on his favoured surface this year having also picked up his 10th titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona in recent weeks. Thiem's reward for making the final was a two-place move to seventh. Nadal was last ranked fourth in October last year.
Kerber tops wta rankings
Angelique Kerber displaced Serena Williams at the top of the WTA rankings released on Monday. Kerber had assured her place as World No 1 by her performances in the Madrid Open last week. The German, made it to the third round where she faced Eugenie Bouchard and retired with a lower back injury trailing 6-3, 5-0.
Sharapova in wimbledon draw
ROME: Three tournaments into her return from a 15-month doping ban, Maria Sharapova has already gained enough rankings points to enter qualifying for Wimbledon.
The five-time Grand Slam winner took advantage of another wild card and overcame a shaky opening set to defeat 58th-ranked Christina McHale 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Italian Open on Monday.
The win earned Sharapova enough points to enter the top 200 of the rankings and earn at least a spot in qualifying for Wimbledon. "Winning matches will get me places, so if that's where it got me today, then I will take it," said Sharapova, who entered this week at No. 211. "The fact that I'm back and playing three weeks in a row now and three events in a row for me is a big deal. That's my focus."
Sharapova will learn on Tuesday if she will be granted a wild card for the French Open this month.