Rome, May 16 (IANS) World No. 3 Spaniard Rafael Nadal on Sunday overcame a mid-match surge from No. 1-ranked Serbian Novak Djokovic to win the Italian Open final 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in two hours and 50 minutes for his 10th title.

In the 57th meeting of the ATP Tour's most prolific rivalry, top seed Djokovic faced second seed Nadal for the ninth time at the Foro Italico. Nadal improved to 4-2 in Rome finals against Djokovic with the victory, and brought his ATP head-to-head record against the Serbian to 28-29 overall.

The victory also earned Nadal a 36th ATP Masters 1000 crown, equalling Djokovic's all-time record, since the series was established in 1990.

--IANS akm/qma