HAMBURG — Spaniard Rafa Nadal turned the tables on Italian Fabio Fognini to win the Hamburg Open on Sunday and claim his 67th career title -- winning 7-5 7-5 on the red clay.
Fognini had already beaten the 29-year-old Spaniard twice this year, in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona, but was unable to record an astonishing hat-trick against the 14-times grand slam champion who has dropped to 10th in the ATP rankings.
Nadal's hard-fought victory clinched his third title of the year after triumphs in Stuttgart and Buenos Aires.
World number 32 Fognini, who won the Hamburg title in 2013, broke Nadal's opening service game in a 12-minute tussle, setting the tone for an intense baseline battle.