Prime News Ghana

French Open 2019: Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem to win 12th title

By Vincent Ashitey
French Open 2019: Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem to win 12th title
French Open 2019: Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem to win 12th title
Shares
facebook sharing button Share
twitter sharing button Tweet
email sharing button Email
sharethis sharing button Share

Rafael Nadal maintained his stranglehold on the French Open by beating Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem in four sets to lift a 12th men's singles title.

The Spaniard won for the third straight year at Roland Garros with a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 victory in a high-quality final.

The 33-year-old is the first player to win 12 singles titles at the same Grand Slam and has now won 18 majors overall.

Thiem and Nadal

"I can't explain what I've achieved and how I feel. It's a dream," said Nadal.

"To play for the first time in 2005 - I never thought in 2019 I'd still be here. It's an incredible moment and very special for me."

That leaves the left-hander two adrift of Switzerland's Roger Federer, who he beat in the semi-finals, and three clear of Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, whose bid to hold all four majors was ended by Thiem.

The second seed slid to the red dirt in triumph when he clinched victory on the second match point, lying behind the baseline with his arms outstretched as he contemplated the magnitude of his achievement.

Rafael Nadal

With clay plastered over his back, he clambered to his feet and took the acclaim of an enthralled Roland Garros crowd which has become accustomed to seeing him triumph.

Thiem, 25, suffered his second Grand Slam final defeat after losing in three sets to Nadal in last year's final.

READ ALSO:

French Open 2019: Nadal sweeps past Federer to reach final ...

Source: BBC

Â