Russian Nikolay Davydenko saved two match points for a comeback victory, beating Rafael Nadal of Spain 0-6, 7-6 (8) and 6-4 to win the Qatar Open tennis tournament here on Saturday. The Russian failed to win a game in the opening set, trailed in both the second and third, but staged a strong comeback to down the world number two in one hour and 43 minutes.
Third seed Davydenko, who beat the world's top player Roger Federer of Switzerland in the semifinal, scored 52 winners against the second-seeded Spaniard's 37.
Spain's Rafael Nadal (R) and Nikolay Davydenko of Russia pose for photos after Davydenko defeated Nadal in the final match of the ATP Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha January 9, 2010.
With the win, the world number six improved his head-to-head record against Nadal to 5-4. "After losing the first set 6-0, I thought I had no chance of winning," said the Russian. "As the match wore on, Rafa lost his concentration and made too many mistakes."
"I wasn't sure of winning till I had three match points. If I can make such a remarkable turnaround after failing completely in the first set that definitely means my confidence is high. I'm happy I could stay focused at crucial stages."
Nikolay Davydenko of Russia holds the trophy after defeating Spain's Rafael Nadal in the final match of the ATP Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha January 9, 2010.
On his part, Nadal said that "I played unbelievable tennis in the first set. That just shows I'm back to my best."
"After losing the tiebreaker, I don't know what went wrong. I lost to one of the best players in the world," said Nadal.