DAVYDENKO CRUSHES NADAL

 

Russia's Nikolay Davydenko claimed the second Masters Series title of his career with victory over Rafael Nadal at the Sony Ericsson Open in Florida.

The 26-year-old went into the match as the underdog but dominated both on serve and return as he won 6-4 6-2.

Davydenko broke twice in each set to wrap up victory in one hour 30 minutes, adding the title to his Paris Masters win of 2006.

Nadal had been looking to win his first tournament since Stuttgart last July.

That fact had clearly been a motivation all week for Nadal, who had looked supremely focused on his way through the draw.

And having won both previous encounters between the pair, the world number two went into the match as the favourite.

But after they swapped early breaks, Davydenko went ahead again in game seven and confidently served out on his second set point.

Nadal, 21, was making more errors than usual as he faced one of the few players capable of matching his energy and consistency from the baseline.

Davydenko kept up the pressure with another break at the start of the second set, and when he extended that advantage to 4-1 it was all but over.

Nadal suffered a heartbreaking five-set defeat by Roger Federer in the final three years ago but the end came considerably quicker this time.

By the closing stages, Davydenko was totally dominant on serve and even coming into the net to finish off some points.

The world number four put Nadal out of his misery on the second match point for a win that solidifies his position among the game's elite.