Tennis/MADRID OPEN: World number one Roger Federer racked up his 10th title of the season with a ruthless 7-5 6-1 6-0 win over Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in the final of the €2 million Madrid Masters yesterday.

The 25-year-old weathered an early storm from the 10th seed but found his rhythm in the second and then powered his way to victory as Gonzalez folded under the pressure.

It was Federer's fourth Masters title of the year and the 12th of his career, taking him one clear of Pete Sampras into second place behind Andre Agassi, who heads the all-time list with a record 17.

The victory, Federer's first in Madrid, extended his winning streak to 19 matches and took his tally of victories for the year to 82. He is the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1982 to win 80 matches two years in a row.

ZURICH OPEN: US Open champion Maria Sharapova claimed her fourth title of the year yesterday by beating unseeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova 6-1 4-6 6-3 in the final of the Zurich Open.

It was Sharapova's first title in Zurich and the victory, achieved with the loss of just one set all week, added to the Indian Wells, San Diego and US titles this year.

Although the second-seeded Russian will remain at number three in the rankings, the win boosted her chances of ending the season as world number one.

Sharapova was far more aggressive than Hantuchova in the opening set, especially with her returns, and she pressured the Slovak from the start.

Having dropped the second set Sharapova once more showed some of the aggression that had served her well early on and closed out for victory with consecutive aces.