HAMBURG: Top seed Rafael Nadal won the Hamburg claycourt title on Sunday gaining a much-needed confidence boost after a slump in form, beating Italian eighth seed Fabio Fognini 7-5, 7-5.

Nadal had been beaten twice previously this season by the experienced Fognini, in Rio de Janeiro and then in Barcelona.

But he gained his revenge in the northern German city, recovering from being broken in the very first game of a tight opening set and eventually clinching the title on his first match point after more than two and a half hours on court.

Nadal has now won the Hamburg title twice after a previous success in 2008 — his last appearance — and has 47 claycourt titles.

“I had some cramps which wasn’t very pleasant,” said 29-year-old Nadal.

“I lost the last two times against him, so I knew it was going to be a tough one.

“I think I had a great attitude the whole match, very positive, fighting for every ball. I had some tough moments on court, lost opportunities, but every time I came back and I kept fighting with the right mentality. I’m very happy for the victory. It is an important victory for me.”

Nadal now heads for the United States hardcourt season with the US Open, the season’s last Grand Slam tournament, starting in New York on August 31.

It has been a tough year for the former world number one who lost his French Open title in June before seeing his world ranking slump to 10, his lowest in a decade.

“Now the hardcourt season is starting, it’s a different story,” he said.

“But at the same time, I’ll keep going with the same mentality and this title helps to be a little bit more calm and add some points to my ranking to try to finish the year in the top eight again.”

Isner on course for Atlanta Open hat trick

Big-serving American John Isner and Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis will meet in the final of the Atlanta Open after hard-fought three-set semifinal victories on Saturday.

Top seed Isner stayed on track for his third consecutive Atlanta title when he outlasted fellow American Denis Kudla in blazing heat on the outdoor hardcourt.

Isner converted his second match point against the unseeded qualifier to triumph 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in one hour, 43 minutes.

The later semifinal was even closer, and longer, as fifth seed Baghdatis edged seventh seed Gilles Muller, of Luxembourg, 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4) in their finely balanced match.

Baghdatis served for the match at 6-5 in the third set, only to tighten up and allow Muller to force a deciding tie-break.

“At 6-5, I have to be honest, I choked but I was able to keep calm and find a way in the end and I’m very happy about that,” Baghdatis told ESPN after winning every service point in the tie-break.

A losing finalist at the 2006 Australian Open, he has four ATP titles but has not won a tournament since 2010 and will need to be near his best in his first final since 2011 to beat fellow 30-year-old Isner, against whom his career record is 0-5.

Isner, who also dropped the first set in his semifinal, said a more aggressive approach to returning serve in the second set had been the key to victory.

“That 2-1 game in the second set turned the match around,” Isner said. “My shots found the court, I was able to break and it relaxed me a lot from there.

“When I’m up a break I tend to serve my best because most of the time when I get one break I can take that set home.”