Doha: Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, ranked No. 1 in the world, took his first title of the season and the 61st of his career by downing France's Gael Monfils Saturday in the final of the Qatar Exxon Mobile Open at Doha by 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 in a two-hour match.
The win had a taste of revenge about it for the Spaniard, who lost only twice in his career to Monfils but both times at Doha, where the Frenchman beat Nadal in the 2012 semifinals and the 2009 quarterfinals.
Those losses might well have spurred the Spanish player to Saturday's explosive start, with two straight service breaks that had Nadal quickly up 4-0 on the scoreboard and taking the set 6-1 just 23 minutes into the match.
