(Reuters) – World number one Rafael Nadal produced a ruthless performance to win his 75th singles title, beating Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-2 6-1 in the China Open final on Sunday.
The Spaniard, appearing in the 110th final of his career, cruised to his first China Open title since 2005 as eighth-seeded Kyrgios was hindered by his own inconsistency and rarely troubled the top seed.
World number 19 Kyrgios, who was looking for his first title of the year, held his opening two service games, but faded as Nadal broke twice to grab the first set.
The 31-year-old almost shut out Kyrgios in the second set and took a 5-0 lead before the Australian won his solitary game to slightly delay the inevitable as Nadal sauntered to his 12th consecutive win.
The victory marks the first time since 2013 that Nadal has won at least six titles in a year and puts him ahead of Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev, who have both won five each this season.
The loss dented Kyrgios’s chances of making it to the season-ending ATP finals as he stands 20th in the Race to London standings.
(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
