Rafael Nadal clinched his third Rogers Cup title on Sunday with a comfortable 6-2 6-2 victory over home favourite Milos Raonic.
The Spanish world number four was rarely troubled throughout the match as he dispatched of his opponent with just over an hour on the clock.
The win means that Nadal now has 25 Masters title to his name.
Read Sports Mole's minute-by-minute report below to find out how the action unfolded.
Hello there and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of tonight's Rogers Cup final between Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic.
It's been quite a tournament this past week in Montreal, and hopefully this clash will give the tournament a good send-off.
Nadal is aiming to win his third title here and his eighth this year. Hie first tasted victory in Montreal back in 2005 with a victory over Andre Agassi before winning his second crown three years later versus Nicolas Kiefer.
Trawling through Nadal's list of achievements takes the good part of a day, but it's a very different story for Milos Raonic. The Canadian world number 13 is playing in his first ATP Masters 1000 final...
The 22-year-old has four titles to his name elsewhere, but it would be a huge step for him tonight if he can topple Nadal.
Raonic overcame fellow countryman Vasek Pospisil in the semi-finals, while Nadal came through a typically-intense encounter with world number one Novak Djokovic - a match that will be remembered for the Spaniard striking his opponent in the face with a brutal backhand at the net:
The head-to-head record between these two does not make good reading for Raonic and his followers. The Canadian has lost all three of their previous encounters, with the last coming in the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open earlier this year. It gets worse though: Raonic has failed to take a set off the Spaniard in their three meetings.
On the face of it, Raonic is probably going to have a tough time tonight. However, if he can get the home crowd on his side and crank up that huge serve of his then anything can happen.
That said, Nadal has been in sparkling form this year (minus that first-round defeat at Wimbledon). What with his injury problems, every title for the Spaniard seems extra special these days and you can be sure that there are plenty to come.
UPDATE: Nadal has won the toss and will receive first.
Needless to day, the Montreal crowd are firmly behind Raonic. They have already given him a standing ovation and they are sure to be key in helping him over the line to his first Masters title.
Here we go the, the players have finished their warm-ups and it will be Raonic to serve. Game on!
Raonic 1-0* Nadal (*denotes next server) A fairly brisk and simple hold for Raonic gets the Canadian off to a positive start, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Raonic *1-1 Nadal A ruthless ace from Nadal gives the Spaniard a love-service game, but Raonic will be annoyed with himself for missing a straightforward forehand at 0-15 that could have got him on the board.
BREAK! Raonic 1-2* Nadal Two bad errors from Raonic hand Nadal a break point, and the Spaniard capitalises when Raonic puts hos forehand return long. The world number four is a model of focus right now.
Wonderful from Nadal. The Spaniard takes the first point on his own serve with a cross-court backhand that flies past the helpless Raonic. He's looking well-oiled today, is Rafa.
Raonic *1-3 Nadal Raonic gave himself a sniff in that game at 15-30, but Nadal powers through to hold and cement that break. The Canadian youngster is making some disappointing errors at the moment and you simply can't do that against Nadal.
Nadal is absolutely pasting some of these forehands at the moment. Raonic moved into a 40-0 lead but now it's 40-30...
BREAK! Raonic 1-4* Nadal This is staring to look ominous. Raonic was on course to hold comfortably there, but Nadal hung around to take it to deuce before another Raonic error sealed the break. The Canadian is looking very uncertain at the moment, while his opponent is as cool as a cucumber.
Raonic *1-5 Nadal The Spaniard brings up game point with a fabulous forehand that finds the corner perfectly. A wild shot from Raonic then gives Nadal the hold to love. In other news, the ballboys around the court are looking very frantic indeed. None of the slick methodology of Wimbledon here.
Raonic 2-5* Nadal That's perked up the spirits of this Canadian crowd, at least momentarily. A wayward forehand from Nadal gives Raonic a comfortable hold after the home favourite dug in.
SET! RAONIC 2-6 NADAL It's all so easy for Nadal at the moment. A rasping forehand winner brings up three set points and he converts at the first attempt as Raonic finds the net with a backhand. That took 32 minutes.
It's difficult to know where Raonic can go here. Nadal is dictating play in his inimitable way, dragging his opponent all over the court. He was rarely troubled in that first set and looks well on course for his 25th Masters title.
BREAK! Raonic 2-6 0-1* Nadal Bad news at the start of this second set for Raonic as a double fault gives Nadal the break. It's like a graveyard inside the stadium at the moment as they watch their boy go down without much of a fight.
Raonic 2-6 *0-2 Nadal The Spaniard is controlling the ball beautifully at the moment, particularly with his forehand, as he holds again to move closer to a third title here. Raonic has little in the way of a response at the moment.
Raonic 2-6 1-2* Nadal That more like it from Raonic! He was 0-30 down on his own serve there, but some dogged play from the baseline brought him back into contention before holding. Nothing flashy there from the Canadian, just hitting his targets and making Nadal work for it.
Something to work with for Raonic here - it's 0-30 on the Nadal serve...
Agony for Raonic and his followers as he squanders three break points before Nadal brings it back to deuce with a gorgeous backhand pass.
Raonic 2-6 *1-3 Nadal How fatal could that game prove to be for Raonic? He looked in complete control, but Nadal won five consecutive points to hold. He's tantalisingly close to that title now.
Raonic 2-6 2-3* Nadal Raonic just about keeps this match alive with a hold of serve. However, the shot of that particular game from Nadal with a ferocious return that whizzed past the Canadian.
Raonic 2-6 *2-4 Nadal This is looking all too routine for Nadal now as another simple hold takes him to the brink of the title. I can't remember a moment in this short match where Raonic truly worried the world number four.
BREAK! Raonic 2-6 2-5* Nadal There is what is most likely to be the killer blow from Nadal as a wayward Raonic forehand brings up the break. Yet again, the Spaniard completely dominated that game, running his opponent ragged and forcing the error. Nadal will serve for the title.
GAME, SET AND MATCH! RAONIC 2-6 2-6 NADAL
RAFAEL NADAL WINS THE ROGERS CUP!
Well, I'm not sure Rafael would have anticipated that the final would be that easy but I'm sure he doesn't mind as he picks up his third Rogers Cup title with a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 win over Milos Raonic.
That was a brutal display from the Spaniard, pretty much controlling that match from first ball to last. He now has 25 Masters titles to his name. What a magnificent player.
Anyway, that's all from us for now. Thank you for your company tonight, we hope that you enjoyed our coverage here on Sports Mole. Don't forget that you can catch all of the latest tennis news and reports right here on this very site, so we hope to see you again soon. Take care and goodnight!
Written by
Jack Prescott
Jack Prescott
