Nadal Gets by Dolgopolov to Capture Rio Title

February 24, 2014 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Rafael Nadal defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6-3, 7-6(3), on Sunday in the finals of the Rio Open Presented by Claro hdtv to claim his 62nd career tour-level championship. Nadal remains undefeated on Brazilian soil, having captured titles in Costa do Sauipe in 2005 and in Sao Paulo in 2013. Nadal continues to build upon an impressive start to 2014, off to a 16-1 overall record, with his only loss coming in the finals of the Australian Open to Stanislas Wawrinka.

“When you win a title, it’s special," said Nadal. "In a 500 tournament, you don’t have a chance to play a lot of these in the calendar. The first edition of a big tournament like Rio, it’s a very important city in the world, and after coming back from injury, it always makes the victory a little more special."

Dolgopolov was contesting his first ATP World Tour final since October 2012, when he finished runner-up in Valencia, losing to David Ferrer.


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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