ROME (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal rediscovered his clay court form after a rare wobble in the semi-finals to beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 in Sunday’s rain-hit final and claim his fifth Rome Masters title in six years.

The chinks in the armour that Latvian Ernests Gulbis exposed in Saturday’s three-setter were not in evidence as Ferrer never threatened an upset.

ROME (Reuters) – Ernests Gulbis offered rivals of Rafael Nadal a crumb of hope heading into this month’s French Open even though the former world number one safely secured his fifth Rome Masters title on Sunday.

The Latvian, ranked 40th in the world, gave four-times Roland Garros champion Nadal a nasty scare in the semis after dispatching Roger Federer earlier in the week.

ROME, May 2 (Reuters) – Ernests Gulbis offered rivals of
Rafael Nadal a crumb of hope heading into this month’s French
Open even though the former world number one safely secured his
fifth Rome Masters title on Sunday.

The Latvian, ranked 40th in the world, gave four-times
Roland Garros champion Nadal a nasty scare in the semis after
dispatching Roger Federer earlier in the week.

ROME, May 2 (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal rediscovered his clay
court form after a rare wobble in the semi-finals to beat fellow
Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 in Sunday’s rain-hit final and
claim his fifth Rome Masters title in six years.

The chinks in the armour that Latvian Ernests Gulbis exposed
in Saturday’s three-setter were not in evidence as Ferrer never
threatened an upset.

ROME (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal rediscovered his normal form after a rare wobble on clay in the semi-finals to beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 in Sunday’s rain-hit final for his fifth Rome Masters title in six years.

The chinks in the armor that Latvian Ernests Gulbis exposed in Saturday’s three-setter were not on show as Ferrer never threatened an upset.

ROME, May 2 (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal rediscovered his
normal form after a rare wobble on clay in the semi-finals to
beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 in Sunday’s rain-hit
final for his fifth Rome Masters title in six years.

The chinks in the armour that Latvian Ernests Gulbis exposed
in Saturday’s three-setter were not on show as Ferrer never
threatened an upset.

ROME (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal said Ernests Gulbis was top-10 material after the Latvian threatened to hand him a rare defeat on clay in the Rome Masters semi-finals on Saturday.

The third seed won 6-4 3-6 6-4 but the problems he had with the 40th-ranked Gulbis’s powerful game put a dent in the aura of invincibility on red dirt the Spaniard appeared to have regained this season after an injury-hit 2009.

ROME, May 1 (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal said Ernests Gulbis was
top-10 material after the Latvian threatened to hand him a rare
defeat on clay in the Rome Masters semi-finals on Saturday.

The third seed won 6-4 3-6 6-4 but the problems he had with
the 40th-ranked Gulbis’s powerful game put a dent in the aura of
invincibility on red dirt the Spaniard appeared to have regained
this season after an injury-hit 2009.

ROME (Reuters) – Third seed Rafael Nadal survived a fright to reach the Rome Masters final with a 6-4 3-6 6-4 win after Latvian Ernests Gulbis had exposed chinks in the clay specialist’s armor on Saturday.

Nadal next meets fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, who took advantage of Fernando Verdasco’s capitulation to beat his exhausted compatriot 7-5 6-3.

ROME, May 1 (Reuters) – Third seed Rafael Nadal survived a
fright to reach the Rome Masters final with a 6-4 3-6 6-4 win
after Latvian Ernests Gulbis had exposed chinks in the clay
specialist’s armour on Saturday.

Nadal next meets fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, who took
advantage of Fernando Verdasco’s capitulation to beat his
exhausted compatriot 7-5 6-3.