ROME -- Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in a five-set match Sunday to successfully defend his Rome Masters title and tie Guillermo Vilas' record 53-match winning streak on clay in the Open era.\nThe second-ranked Spaniard saved two match points at 5-6 in the fifth set when Federer missed two forehands, then closed out the win on his first match point in a tiebreaker when the top-ranked Swiss player hit another forehand long.\nNadal, who won 6-7 (0), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5), now has beaten Federer in four straight matches, including the semifinals of last year's French Open. The Rome Masters is a clay-court warm up for the Roland Garros tournament, which begins in two weeks.\nThe 19-year-old Nadal began his streak at the Monte Carlo Masters in April 2005 and has won nine straight tournaments on clay. His 16th title also tied him with Bjorn Borg for most titles won as a teenager.\nVilas' streak came in 1977, beginning with a win in May at the French Open and ending with a loss to Ilie Nastase in October in Aix en Provence, France.\nNadal can break the record with a win against Tommy Haas in the first round of the Hamburg Masters this week.\nThe first set Sunday lasted more than an hour. After trading breaks, Nadal saved two set points on his serve in the final game before the tiebreaker. But Federer stormed through the tiebreaker without losing a point.\nIn the first game of the second set, Nadal won one of the most entertaining points of the match, chasing a lob down with a shot through his legs that Federer volleyed into the net.\nBoth players held serve comfortably in the second set. In the tiebreaker, Federer made two uncharacteristic errors -- a forehand approach shot that sailed long and a backhand passing attempt into the net -- to hand Nadal the set.\nNadal broke serve to take a 3-2 lead in the third set and maintained the advantage throughout the set to take the lead. Federer broke twice in the fourth set to even the match.
\nFederer dropped to 39-3 this year, with his only losses coming to Nadal. The other two came in finals at Dubai in March and the Monte Carlo Masters last month.\nRome remains one of only four Masters Series events that Federer has not won. Monte Carlo, Madrid and Paris are the others.
