Nadal beats Isner to claim Cincinnati crown and depose Murray as world No 2



Rafael Nadal continued his hard-court domination this year with a 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-3) victory over John Isner to win the Cincinnati Masters.

The Spaniard took one hour and 55 minutes to see off big-serving Isner in a tight match, which did not feature any breaks of serve, and claim his ninth title of the year.

Nadal's win means that he overtakes Andy Murray in the rankings to become world No 2, meaning that the Brit will be seeded No 3 for the US Open which begins on August 26.

Victory: Nadal falls to the ground after beating Isner in the final of the Cincinnati Masters

TOP FIVE AFTER CINCINNATI

1. Novak Djokovic (Srb) =

2. Rafael Nadal (Esp) +1

3. Andy Murray (Gbr) -1

4. David Ferrer (Esp) =

5. Tomas Berdych (Cze) +1



This means that Murray, the defending champion in New York, could face world No 1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, depending on how the draw pans out on Thursday.



Since coming back in February from a seven-month lay-off through injury, Nadal has won all of his 15 matches on hard.

The 27-year-old is the first player since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win back-to-back Masters titles in Canada and Cincinnati.



Nadal said: 'It is just amazing. This year was the first year I felt I was playing really well here in Cincinnati.



The King of Hard: Nadal has won all 15 hard-court matches he has played this year Bite: Nadal holds the Cincinnati trophy for the first time in his career

'It is very difficult to return his [Isner's] serve. I had to be patient and wait for my moment in this kind of match.



'Winning in Montreal and here in Cincinnati means a lot to me. Now is the moment to enjoy and in a few days I will start thinking about the US Open.'

Meanwhile, Viktoria Azarenka served up a warning to world No 1 Serena Williams ahead of the US Open, beating the American 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in the final of the women's event.



What can I do? Isner was playing in his second Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati

