Monte Carlo, April 24:

Rafael Nadal called his latest clay-court win over top-ranked Roger Federer easier than the one at the French Open. Second-ranked Nadal defended his Monte Carlo Masters title with a 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over Federer on Sunday, handing the seven-time Grand Slam champion his second defeat of the year.

Nadal has beaten Federer four times in five meetings, and twice on clay after winning last June at Roland Garros. Federer, who had 78 unforced errors on his least-favourite surface, is now 28-2 for the year.

“I was beating him easier today than in Paris,” Nadal said. “To begin the clay season like this, for me, is unbelievable.” Nadal extended his winning streak on clay to 42 matches and can pass Bjorn Borg’s mark of 46 and move behind Guillermo Vilas (53) if he wins next weekend at Barcelona.

“One day, for sure, I’m going to lose on clay,” said Nadal. “I just hope it isn’t next week.” Federer complimented himself on “a fantastic week” and felt his chances of one day overhauling Nadal on clay “went up.” “I’ve got to adjust quite a bit to play Rafael,” Federer said.

Nadal broke Federer seven times, overcame a 3-0 deficit in the fourth-set tiebreaker and won the match with a forehand pass that bounced on the line.

Federer lamented missed opportunities, felt his serve was below par, and was upset at converting only 4-of-18 breakpoint chances. Nadal used his big forehand to pressure Federer on his weaker backhand.

Federer appeared in his 12th consecutive final, but his winning run in Masters series matches ended at 29. His previous Masters defeat came at Monte Carlo in a quarter-final loss to Richard Gasquet of France last year.

Federer started with a string of erratic shots that helped Nadal race to a 4-0 lead. He finished with twice as many unforced errors as his opponent, and his first-set loss was the largest margin this season. Federer’s previous worst sets were 3-6 against Olivier Rochus, Nikolay Davydenko and Tommy Haas.

Nadal served for the second set at 5-4, but Federer broke him, and closed out the tiebreaker with an ace. At the start of the third set, Federer broke Nadal to love and looked comfortable on serve before suffering a lapse. Nadal broke for a 5-3 lead, and Federer screamed in frustration while losing the next game.

Early in the fourth set, Federer called himself an “idiot” after one backhand shot looped out. He trailed 3-0, rallied to a 5-4 lead, but Nadal easily won his two service games to force a tiebreaker.