ROME, May 2 (UPI) -- Rafael Nadal overcame rain delays and fellow Spaniard David Ferrer Sunday to claim his fifth Rome Masters championship and 38th career ATP singles crown.
In a match that featured several delays forced by a persistent rain, Nadal downed Ferrer 7-5, 6-2, improving to 38-12 all-time in finals while tuning up for this month's French Open.
Nadal came back after the first rain delay to finish off his first set win and get the advantage in the second, winning three straight games before play was halted again. Once play resumed, Nadal breezed to the victory, upping his all-time record against Ferrer to 11-3.
Nadal has won 10 straight matches, all of them on clay, since losing to Andy Roddick in the Miami semifinals last month.
Ferrer defeated Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco to gain the Rome final. With the loss, he fell to 8-9 all-time in ATP finals.
