Tennis: Nadal Wins Five-hour Classic

The light had all but faded at the Foro Italico but the radiance that is Spain's Rafael Nadal refused to die. The 18-year-old prodigy appeared on his last legs when he went two breaks of serve and 3-0 down in the fifth set of yesterday's colossal Italian Open final against Guillermo Coria but incredibly the youngster fought back to win the fifth-set tie-break 8-6 for a quite astonishing 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 victory.

This was Nadal's second Masters Series victory over Coria in three weeks, the last being in Monte Carlo, and extended the Spaniard's run of wins on clay to 17 matches, during which he has also taken the Valencia title. There appears to be no stopping him on this surface and, with the French Open only two weeks away he will, even at his tender age, enter Roland Garros as favourite.

Poor Coria, who blew up so spectacularly in last year's French Open final against his fellow Argentinian Gaston Gaudio slumped into his chair while Nadal drank in the adulation of the 10,000 crowd, apart that is from a small knot of Argentinians convinced at the start of the fifth set that their man would triumph.

It was the longest final here, lasting 5hr 14min, and one of operatic fluctuations of drama. Nadal missed a match point before the tie-break at 6-5 on Coria's serve and then, with a 5-1 lead in the tie-break, allowed two more to go begging, the third with a double-fault.

Both players were reluctant to give a centimetre. The mental fragility of Coria has been in question but nobody could doubt his fortitude and resolve now. Simply, Nadal had more.

Coria, whose sometimes haughty attitude on court has annoyed several leading players, including Tim Henman, had seriously got under the skin of Andre Agassi on Saturday. Coria called a shot out with his finger before it had bounced, and then quickly circled the mark as if it was obviously wide, which was debatable.

"To act like it's sure when it's that close is an unreasonable response," said Agassi. "It's unacceptable behaviour." Agassi, who lost the semi-final 7-5, 7-6 was almost equally annoyed with himself. He sensed Coria was tired and believed he had just lost, at 35, an excellent chance of taking a second and probably last Italian Open title, having won here in 2002. But he would surely not have beaten Nadal. Few would.

Justine Henin-Hardenne thought her career as a frontline player might be over when she began her comeback six weeks ago after seven months out with injuries and a virus. Now, after her third successive title, all on clay, she will go to Roland Garros as unofficial favourite, having defeated Russia's Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the German Open final.

Petrova, 22, daughter of two Olympic athletes, produced fleetfooted and often stern resistance in her first top-tier final. But not since Conchita Martinez a decade ago has any woman had a French Open build-up as good as Henin's.

"I will never be the same again - but maybe I will be better," said the Belgian.