Rafael Nadal wins record-equalling 46th clay-court title

Rafael Nadal won a record-equalling 46th clay-court title and his first on any surface since last June by brushing aside Juan Monaco in the final of the Argentina Open presentado por Buenos Aires Ciudad.

Nadal's 6-4 6-1 victory in a little under an hour and a half saw him draw level with Monaco's Argentinian countryman Guillermo Vilas for the number of titles won on clay.

The Spaniard struggled in the second half of last season with a wrist injury which was followed by a bout of appendicitis, and he has been working his way back to full fitness ever since.

His last triumph came when he won his ninth French Open crown, but there was never any danger of the trophy drought stretching any further on Sunday.

After a two-hour rain delay delayed the start of the final, Nadal, the top seed, did not face a single break point but claimed the first of five service breaks in the seventh game of the first set.

He then won eight of the next 10 games to secure his 65th career title.