2017 China Open FINAL Rafael Nadal bt. Nick Kyrgios 6/2 6/1
Victory in Beijing gives Nadal his 75th career crown, moving to within two titles of John McEnroe for fourth on the Open Era list. It was his second triumph in the Chinese capital, having previously defeated Guillermo Coria for the 2005 trophy.
"It is an important title for me," said Nadal. "The last year that I had the trophy with me was in 2005... It is completely different. I don't even remember that one. The feeling is probably better this year.
"First thing, the tournament is bigger than in 2005. It's a 500 event. Before it was 250. Every title later in your career is more special than when you were younger. I had very tough draw here. When I saw the draw at the beginning of the tournament, I knew that it will be very, very difficult to have good chances here. But I was lucky the first day saving the two match points. After that, I think I played one of the best events of the year, playing very solid the whole week and playing against very tough opponents."
"Very long games at the beginning and a good level of tennis," Nadal added. "I think after 30 minutes we were only 2-1. Very intense everything. I played, in my opinion, a great level of tennis tonight. Of course, I think one of the best matches of the year. He is always very tough opponent to play against. But today, I think my serve worked well, and I was returning a lot of balls, putting a lot of balls inside, then taking the advantage from the baseline a little bit more often than him. I was a little bit more aggressive and that was the key." (via ATP)
Photos: China Open; Reuters; AP; EPA
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