Nadal wins the French Tennis Open
June 5, 2005Spaniard Rafael Nadal has won the men's tennis title at the French Open in Paris for his first-ever grand slam title. Unseeded Argentinian Mariano Puerta offered some strong resistance in the first set winning it 7:6 before Nadal asserted control to take the second and third sets 6:3 and 6:1. But Puerta came within one break point of forcing a fifth set but handed Nadal the match with some unforced errors in the closing stages. Nadal -- the new shooting star of the clay-court -- then wrapped things up taking the fourth set 7:5 to the delight of Spain's King Juan Carlos who was in the stadium.
Nadal – in his debut performance at the French Open -- put world number one Roger Federer out of the semis on Friday and was heavily favoured to take his first ever Grand Slam title. Not since Mats wilander has a newcomer swept the board in this style.
On Saturday Justine Henin-Hardenne's dreams finally came true, making amends for a disappointing last season. She won her first French Open title in 2003 but last year was at an all time low after a knee fracture and a virus infection. She made it clear that she's back on track on Saturday, playing brilliant tennis that left her opponent Mary Pierce no chance at all. The 15,000 centre court fans watched as she continued to dictate the play in the second set and Mary Pierce piled up the unforced errors. After just one hour and one minute it was a 6:1, 6:1 win for Henin-Hardenne in one of the most one-sided finals ever played at Roland Garros.