MIAMI, April 3, 2017
Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 to win his third Miami Open presented by Itaú title after 2005 and 2006 and his third “Sunshine Double”.
The Swiss maestro saved all of the four break points he faced, converting two of his own to prevail in one hour and 34 minutes. At 35 years and seven months, Federer is now the oldest Miami champion.
Federer improves to 19-1 in 2017, his best start to a season since 2006.
“I thought he had his chances in the first and second sets. It was close. I think on the big points today, I was just a little better. Why, I have no explanation. I was just trying to stay afloat. Physically, emotionally, it’s been a draining week, so I did very well,” told Federer, who picked up his 26th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown and 91st tour-level title in total.
“It was a great atmosphere again. A lot riding on the match of course. A lot has happened in the past 13 years since I played Rafa for the very first time here and in between. It was a special match and it was great to play against Rafa again.”
Nadal still leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 23-14, but Federer now has a 10-9 lead on hard courts and has won their past four matches.
“I think I have been playing well during the whole event. It was a positive tournament for me obviously. A lot of [Emirates ATP Rankings] points and a lot of confidence for the most important part of the season for me that starts in two weeks. I hope to have a good two weeks of practice at home and be ready for the clay. That’s my goal now,” told Nadal, who still seeks his first Miami title and drops to 0-5 in finals here.
Kubot/Melo Capture First ATP Masters 1000 Crown
On Saturday, two-time team titlists Lukasz Kubot from Poland and Brazilian Marcelo Melo added their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown to their trophy haul, winning 7-5, 6-3 over US-Americans Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock. They saved eight of nine break points and broke the Americans three times in the 82-minute final.
“It was emotional in the end but very happy to win, especially for me because it’s my first Masters 1000 win. I wanted to win so much,” told Kubot, who won back-to-back Erste Bank Open 500 championships in Vienna in 2015 and 2016 with Melo.
“I am feeling pretty happy. It’s not every day you win a Masters [1000]. We had a chance last week in Indian Wells and then today was another opportunity for us. So we are very happy to come through and be champions of a tournament that’s so important for us,” added Melo.
