Spanish sensation takes gold at Beijing Olympics

No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal continued his stellar season by winning Spain’s first ever singles Olympic gold medal. Nadal defeated Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, a singles bronze medalist and doubles gold medalist at the 2004 games, 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 on Sunday in the gold medal match. The 22-year-old Mallorca, Spain resident, who will take over the top ranking on Monday, became the highest ranked player to win a singles gold medal. Nadal will enter the U.S. Open with eight titles on the year, including Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

In the bronze medal match, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, denied American James Blake a chance to bring home his country’s tenth overall men’s singles medal with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory. Djokovic, the reigning Australian Open Champion, broke serve quickly to secure a 3-1 lead before closing the set out 6-3. Both players were unsuccessful breaking serve throughout the second set, until Djokovic earned a mini break at 5-4 and served out the match. It was a heartbreaking end to Blake’s Olympic campaign as he had three straight match points in his semifinals match against Gonzalez before bowing out. Djokovic’s win earned Serbia its second overall medal of the Beijing Olympics.

Although a singles gold medal eluded Roger Federer again this year, the 12-time Grand Slam champion teamed with Stanislas Wawrinka to win the doubles gold medal. The Swiss duo defeated Sweden’s Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4. It was Federer and Wawrinka’s fourth time pairing up for doubles, and prior to the Olympics they had just one win together as a team. Federer and Wawrinka gave Switzerland its first Olympic tennis medal since Marc Rosset won the singles title at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Also in doubles action, top seeded American twins Bob and Mike Bryan slugged out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra of France to claim the bronze medal.