Nadal Defeats Alexandr Dolgopolov to Win the Rio Open Title

Rafael Nadal is back in winning form…

The 27-year-old Spanish tennis star returned from a bothersome back injury to win the Rio Open in Brazil on Sunday, taking down the Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Rafael Nadal

Nadal’s victory comes four weeks after he lost in the final at the Australian Open to underdog Stanislas Wawrinka after hurting his back during the warm up.

Nadal, who had to fend off two match points in the semifinal against Pablo Andujar, looked more comfortable in the final and improved his record on clay to 298-21, the best in the Open Era.

Dolgopolov has lost all five matches he’s played against Nadal.

It’s the 62nd career title for Nadal, and he extends his record of ATP 500 titles to 15 with the win.

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