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PARIS – Rafael Nadal jumped into what was then a tight final against Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 on Sunday for his 12th-place championship record at Roland-Garros.
He brings to 18 the number of Nadal Grand Slam titles, two points behind Roger Federer's record for a man.
The Spaniard, 33, improved to 93-2 at Roland Garros, including a 24-0 semifinal and final.
It was a resumption of last year's final, won in two sets by Nadal against Thiem, a 25-year-old Austrian who beat Novak Djokovic 1 in the semifinal and was looking for his first major trophy.
Thiem gave the impression that it could be much more difficult for Nadal, taking the second set to make a set each.
But Nadal, seeded No. 2, reaffirmed to take control. He has won 16 of 17 initial points in the third set en route to collect 12 of the last 14 games.
No other man or woman has won up to 12 titles in all four Grand Slam tournaments.
In the end, Nadal fell on the clay he loved so much, then covered his face with both hands.
In the women's final on Saturday, No. 8 seed Ash Barty of Australia won her first major title by defeating 19-year-old Czech Russian Marka Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3.
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