Novak Djokovic extended his winning streak of the season to 37 matches by beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4 to lift the Italian Open title on Sunday.


Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the trophy at the awarding ceremony after winning the men's singles final against Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Rome Masters tennis tournament in Rome, capital of Italy, May 15, 2011. Djokovic won 2-0 to claim the champion. (Xinhua/Wang Qingqin)
The second-ranked Djokovic has beaten Nadal in all four finals they've played this year and defeated the Spaniard for the first time on clay in last week's Madrid Open final.


Djokovic has now become the first player to beat Nadal on clay twice in the same year, a feat that comes exactly a week before the French Open starts.


Earlier, Maria Sharapova stormed to a 6-2, 6-4 win over Sam Stosur in the woman's final.


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