Tennis:Roger Federer matched Rafa Nadal's record of 20 Masters titles when he fought back from a set down to beat Tomas Berdych 3-6 7-5 7-5 in a gripping Madrid Open final today.
The Swiss maestro, who will also climb above his great rival Nadal to number two in the world when the rankings are updated, secured his fourth title of the season with a gritty display on the blue clay at the futuristic Magic Box arena.
Czech sixth seed Berdych made the stronger start and a break of the Federer serve in the second game was enough to settle an otherwise desperately tight first set.
The crowd sweltering in the Madrid heat tried their best to lift the hugely-popular Federer, champion in 2006 and 2009, and he responded with two breaks of serve in the second set that helped him level the match.
A couple of double faults from Berdych, who was bidding for a second career Masters triumph, put Federer 5-3 ahead in the decider but the 16-times grand slam champion faltered when serving for the match.
However, with Berdych needing to hold to stay in contention at 6-5 down, Federer conjured another break, converting his fourth match point when Berdych netted a forehand.