Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem Madrid Open Final, Live Score Match Updates

Nadal now has five Mutua Madrid Open titles of 6 finals. He already has seven titles at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, and of course is looking for La Decima at Roland Garros.

That looks like it's going to happen - and in a hurry!

We hope you enjoyed our coverage - and that brilliant fight of a match! Goodnight everyone, and keep watching this space for more tennis!

He'll have to work on reining in some of his forehands, and his first serve percentage was fairly low in Set 1, but to say he was not a worthy competitor (and more) for Rafa here today would be unfair.

Great tennis on both ends, and in our humble opinions, Dominic Thiem is a definite future Roland Garros winner!

But let's take a minute to look at JUST how good Dominic Thiem was! Some great powerful groundstrokes, lovely on-court movement, and it's not that his tennis wasn't aggressive and attacking so much as just how impenetrable Nadal's defense was.

Nadal is unbeaten on clay this year so far - winning Monte Carlo, Barcelona and now, Madrid. To peg anyone but him as the frontrunner for the French Open would be naive, and completely so.

A RUN to the net and a brilliant backhand and RAFAEL NADAL WINS THE MADRID OPEN!

Resilience, thy name is Dominic Thiem. Deuce. Ad Thiem. Deuce. Ad Nadal. Deuce. Ad Thiem. And a great passing shot from the Austrian sends them back to deuce again.

ALMOST at match point for Nadal and Dominic Thiem is STILL battling on!

And there's a stunning shot down the tramlines to seal it and Dominic Thiem is still in this at 4-5! Rafa now serves for the match.

MATCH POINT! But we're not done yet. Thiem isn't at his best, but there are some really uncharacteristically wide shots from Rafa here, and we're at deuce!

Thiem now serves to stay in the match.

FIST PUMP! He's almost done here, and Nadal knows it. After dictating the last few games firmly from the baseline and wresting the reins into his own hands, Nadal is now THUMPING through. He runs to the net with the lightest of touches and Thiem is in no man's land with no clue where to go.

5-3 to Rafael Nadal.

A gutsy hold from Thiem here and he's trying to attack, but Nadal, almost PLANTED at the baseline, is defending just far too well for anything to go past.

4-3 to Rafa.

Thiem is now routinely sending backhand returns flat into the net. Again, and again, and again, and it sees him down 4-2 in the second set. Our money is on Rafa finishing this off.

Nadal's up on the baseline and varying his shots quick and fast. Cross-court, down the line, he's varying position and speed and Thiem cannot react fast enough!

Nadal leads 3-2 and Thiem is quite on the back foot here.

But Rafa's never far behind, and this time it looks like Thiem is flagging. Nadal famously has never really had problems with his stamina - physically or mentally, and he's held easily to lead 3-1. The Austrian is falling back and fast!

Wow, out of nowhere, a flighy Thiem gets just as aggressive as Rafa and hits some GRITTY shots from the baseline. Great work on his part, and he holds to trail 1-2!

This is really a tight, tight match. Rafa sends his own serve out wide a couple of times, but he's held on to consolidate the break.

Up 2-0 now, Nadal will want to race on and power on with this.

Nadal breaks to open the second set. Only Nadal. Thiem looks tired, and Nadal's at the baseline like an animal waiting for prey, picking up on the smallest of margins.

1-0. Easy does it.

Game evenly matched so far - and that's quite the understatement from me. Nadal has edged out Thiem by Thiem's own hand, with the young Austrian prone to - and right now, frequently sending wild loopy shots into the air.

And with that goes the first set to Rafael Nadal, 7-6 (8)!

It's gone into Tier 2 of the stands has that Thiem shot.

Where was he going with that one? Thiem lugs that one mightily, and absolutely skies it. Was he sending it into the next court?

Dominic Thiem at full stretch now and leading 8-7 in the tiebreak! It's set point Thiem.

Aah, Dominic Thiem! This is aggravating. Thiem wrests control from Rafa to go up a mini-break at 4-2, then fritter it away immediately! We're now at 6 - 6 in this tiebreak here.

TIEBREAK! Nadal sends a walloping forehand in and runs into the net to repeat it. 2-2 !

After Nadal's hold to love, Dominic Thiem sends a nice heavy drop shot in. It doesn't really work against Nadal and he misses out on a point, but my goodness is the young man athletic! Pacey and quick around the court, Thiem's already forced a first-set tiebreak.

Oof! That Nadal backhand was sublime and just inside the tramlines! Kisses the line and spins. Nadal seals that game 6-5. Thiem once again is serving to stay in the set.

Thiem holds on for 5-5! Another couple of games at least to go!

Thiem sends some really heavy cross-court backhands in - with Nadal responding in kind! The Austrian tries to stave off the set-ending break, and suddenly it's ad Thiem.

Another cross-courter and we're back at deuce again.

Break point #2!

Suddenly, Dominic's coming apart at the, er, Thiems. He's sent his last three serves in long, and Nadal runs to break point as a result.

Really aggressive tennis from both these players. A proper final if we ever saw one. Thiem unfortunately puts a little too much wrist into that one, and it goes just long.

Thiem will serve to stay in the set.

Every single game here is going to deuce, or thats what it feels like. A beautiful slide from Dominic Thiem into the net there and an almost flat return, it's a pity that one didn't make it - and it seals the game for Nadal, 5-4.

Drop shots galore from Rafa on court today. But Thiem holds him back just as effectively with some heavy, strong backhands. A lot of shoulder in those shots and he's levelled scores yet again at 4 - 4!

Try as he might, Thiem can't break Nadal yet again. Scores are at 4-3 but we don't see the young Austrian go down without a fight!

Shockingly, both players have committed 10 unforced errors already in the 6 games played so far.

Thiem assails Nadal will groundstrokes, and Nadal returns them like bullet-fire. He's also pumped up the aggression, and once again forces Thiem to the net. This time the Austrian falls for the feint, and Nadal gains control again.

We'll say one thing, though. This is not going to be an easy match - or at all one-sided.

Nadal forces Thiem to the net - and he's done it! He breaks back, and we're back on even footing again.

Scores are level at 3 games apiece!

And we're now at break point No. 2.

Nadal gets a couple of great forehands in, and he's raced to break point. Out comes the fist pump!

Nadal holds! We're at 3-2 now and Rafa is as fit as ever. No sign of nerves. But now Thiem is quite in the driver's seat...

We all admired Thiem's brilliant groundstrokes in Barcelona. Here he's put them on quite the display yet again. Champion and a half!

Thiem is hitting drop-shots, chasing them, chasing smashes and generating his own, and THEN some. Talk about an all-round game!

Thiem builds on his break with a hold to lead 3-1!

AND HE'S DONE IT! World No. 9 Dominic Thiem draws first blood, leading Nadal 2-1 in the first set!

Just how good was that from Thiem at the net? There's no wonder he's a future Clay Court champion, or so they say... Nadal forces him to the net - a tactic that has bamboozled Novak Djokovic in the past, but there is really no stopping Thiem!

We're at break point!

Again, Thiem takes it to 30-30. He's not been ideal with his serves here and they're going a bit wild. Finally, at 40-30, Thiem holds.

One game all.

But Nadal runs away with that anyway. The Spaniard opens serve and leads 1-0.