Rafael Nadal beats Juan Monaco to win the Argentina Open

Rafael Nadal poses with the Argentina Open title

Buenos Aires, March 2 (IANS)

Spanish top seed Rafael Nadal defeated local player Juan Monaco to win the Argentina Open, lifting his first title in 2015.

Nadal defeated Monaco in a match that lasted one hour and 27 minutes on Sunday with a score of 6-4, 6-1. This was the first final for the World No. 4 after winning a record ninth French Open title last year. The Spaniard broke the Argentine late in the first set and dominated proceedings in the second set to register a convincing win.

Monaco on the other hand, did not get a single break point opportunity on Nadal’s serve.

The match, played at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, was delayed for two hours because of the rain. "It was a complicated day for everybody," Nadal said. "Both for me and (Monaco) but especially for the fans who had to wait. We have to thank them for staying here until the end."

It was Nadal’s 46 th title on clay, three short of Guillermo Vilas’ record.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion now has 65 titles to rise to the fifth position in the Open Era for the most titles. He now stands behind Jimmy Connors (109), Ivan Lendl (94), Roger Federer (84) and John McEnroe (77).