Top seed Rafael Nadal ground down number two Guillermo Coria 5-7 6-1 6-2 to win the China Open today, securing his tenth title of the year.
The Spanish teenager hit back with venom after dropping the first set, storming through the second as his Argentine opponent suffered a complete meltdown.
A thundering backhand gave Nadal the crucial break in the third game of the final set and the French Open champion gained a double break to go 5-2 up.
His game torn to shreds by Nadal, a disconsolate Coria traipsed back to his chair with shoulders slouched and cursing himself in Spanish.
Nadal had won his last 13 matches against Argentine players and he showed no mercy when serving for the match, putting Coria out of his misery after one hour and 56 minutes.
"I was a little bit more aggressive in the second and third sets and that was the decisive thing,” said Nadal after claiming his second career hardcourt title.
"I know I can play on hard courts. I need to improve my game on grass but, if I play well on hard courts, I know I can win a lot of matches."
Nadal's first hardcourt title came last month when he beat Andre Agassi in the Montreal Masters final.
Nadal has tied with Roger Federer for tournament wins in 2005 and improved his match record for the year to 72-10 to move past the world number one in victories. Federer's record for 2005 stands at 71-3.
