Another title match between the world’s top two players came down to the wire.
What could Rafael Nadal possibly do for an encore?
In 2005, the 19-year-old Spaniard established himself as a force to be reckoned with in record-breaking fashion: He won 11 titles, including the French Open in his debut appearance and finished as the world No. 2.
His 2006 campaign got off to an unfortunate start as he was forced to miss the Australian Open with a foot injury. But once he overcame that, he soon picked up where he left off from the year prior, winning Dubai on hard courts, and defending his titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
His next attempt at a title defense came in Rome, and with the way he’d been playing on clay over the past year, it seemed like another Masters 1000 title would be his for the taking. Nadal only dropped one set on his way to the final.
In the top half of the draw, world No. 1 Roger Federer was tested in his matches against Nicolas Almagro and David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
Having just played in the final of the Monte Carlo a couple of weeks before this tournament, Federer knew a quick start was paramount to any success. He stayed even with Nadal throughout the first set and managed to win it in a tiebreak. The second set continued along the same path as the first, but this time it was Nadal who captured the breaker.
In the third set, Nadal secured an early break, consolidated it, and went on to win it 6-4. Federer, who had lost to Nadal in four of their five previous matches, was now only a set away from another defeat. However, in the fourth, the Swiss star managed to turn the tide and steamrolled Nadal, winning 6-2.
The momentum clearly with him at this point, Federer continued his surge, storming to a 4-1 lead. Nadal battled to get it back on even ground, but late in the frame, found himself down two match points. Unforced errors led to Federer losing the advantage, and the two ended up in a fifth-set tiebreaker to decide it all.
After the first eight points, Federer was up 5-3, only two points away from victory. Nadal, though, won the next four to clinch his second Italian Open in a row.
53
Nadal won his 53rd match in a row on clay, tying Guillermo Vilas' record.
16
Nadal notched another milestone with his 16th career title, tying him with Bjorn Borg for tournaments won by a teenager.
7
Federer was playing his seventh final of the season in his seventh tournament entered. His record in the finals was 4-3, with Nadal handing him all three of those losses.
