JOIN USRafael Nadal held off a late surge from birthday boy Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim the 80th title of his career with a victory at the Toronto Masters on Sunday.
Nadal overcame a second set fightback from Greek youngster Tsitsipas to claim a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory in just under 1hr 45mins.
The win gave the 32-year-old Spaniard a record-extending 33rd trophy at the elite Masters level as well as his 80th title.
Earlier, a vocal crowd of local flag-waving Greek fans had sung Happy Birthday to the 20-year-old Tsitsipas as Nadal reflected on a successful campaign.
The loss concluded the tennis week of his life for Tsitsipas, who beat four Top 10 opponent in a row to reach the final.
"It's been an amazing week for me," he said. "This trophy means a lot after playing my first Masters 1000 final. Rafa is amazing, he never cracks. He will always grab you like a bulldog and he will always make you suffer on the court.
"He was (once) normal like all of us, and he managed to become this beast, this monster that he is today.
Nadal later announced his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Masters as he is looking to adjust his schedule to retain fitness ahead of his US Open title defence.
"I am very sorry to announce that I won't be playing in Cincinnati this year," Nadal wrote on Twitter late on Sunday.
"No other reason than personally taking care of my body and trying to keep as healthy as I feel now.
Halep wins
World number one Simona Halep turned back American Sloane Stephens 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4 to win the Rogers Cup women's title in a rematch of their French Open finale in Montreal on Sunday.
Romanian Halep, who had beaten Stephens in Paris in June, claimed her second Montreal title in three years and third for the 2018 season.
She closed out the hard-fought match with her third ace of the day.
"It's an amazing feeling to be able to talk again at this ceremony as a winner," Halep said.
"I feel like I reached my best level of tennis, even if I had a long break before this tournament and I felt dead after the first day."