YOUZHNY-MOYA THRASH NADAL

Rafael Nadal was routed by fourth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny 6-0, 6-1 in the final of the Chennai Open.

The 19th-ranked Youzhny clinched the fourth title of his career by shocking No. 2 Nadal, who managed to hold his service just once in two sets.

The 57-minute title contest turned out to be a letdown for Nadal, who needed 3 hours, 54 minutes to overcome third-seeded fellow Spaniard Carlos Moya in what was the longest three-set match on the ATP Tour in 15 years.

"Maybe I was a bit tired after the long semifinal, but I lost the final because Mikhail played very well," Nadal said.

Nadal took a medical time-out during the second set, but said he had no fitness problem.

"I had no injury, just wanted the trainer's help in overcoming tiredness," he said.

It seems strange - perhaps unethical - that a player would use an injury time-out to overcome tiredness.

The error-prone Nadal saw his hopes of launching the year with a title vanish as the Russian hit winners from the baseline and executed deft drops.