(Adds Nadal quotes, detail, byline)
By Alastair Himmer
BEIJING, Sept 18 - Top seed Rafael Nadal ground
down number two Guillermo Coria 5-7 6-1 6-2 to win the China
Open on Sunday, securing his 10th title of the year.
The Spanish teenager hit back with venom after dropping the
first set, storming through the second as his Argentine opponent
suffered a complete meltdown.
A pummelling backhand gave Nadal the crucial break in the
third game of the final set and the French Open champion gained
a double break to go up 5-2.
His game torn to shreds by Nadal, a disconsolate Coria
traipsed back to his chair with shoulders slouched and cursing
himself in Spanish.
Nadal had won his last 13 matches against Argentine players
and he showed no mercy when serving for the match in Beijing.
The pugnacious 19-year-old finally put Coria out of his
misery after one hour and 56 minutes, forcing him into a wild
backhand on his first match point.
DECISIVE THING
"I was a little bit more aggressive in the second and third
sets and that was the decisive thing, I think," said Nadal after
claiming his second career hardcourt title.
"I know I can play on hard courts. I need to improve my game
on grass but, if I play well on hard courts, I know I can win a
lot of matches."
Nadal's first hardcourt title came last month when he beat
Andre Agassi in the Montreal Masters final.
World number two Nadal has now beaten Coria in three finals
this year following Masters Series titles on clay in Monte Carlo
and Rome.
Nadal also tied Roger Federer for tournament wins in 2005
and improved his match record for the year to 72-10 to move past
the world number one in victories.
Federer's record for 2005 stands at 71-3.
Nadal's first trip to Asia netted him