Abu Dhabi: World number one Rafael Nadal claimed his first title of the year when he battled past Swiss ace Roger Federer to win the Mubadala world tennis championship exhibition tournament.
The Spaniard needed two tie-breaks before coming through 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) against world number two Federer.
The rivalry between the two tennis icons is set to continue next week when they compete in the Qatar Open.
Swede Robin Soderling won his third-place playoff against Czech Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, January 03, 2011, 11:01