Haas shocks Federer in Halle

German Tommy Haas says his Gerry Weber Open victory over Roger Federer could be the 'greatest and best thing' in his career.

 Haas has struggled with injuries over the past two years but battled back to claim his first title since winning the same tournament in 2009.

 The former world number two beat Federer 7-6 6-4 in Sunday's final and will climb up from 87th to 51st in the rankings on Monday.

 "If I think about it, it could be the greatest and best thing in my career," Haas said. "To win against such a strong player like Roger in this final in Germany is something really special.

 "I won my last title in 2009 here and couldn't defend it a year later because of an operation. Because of that it's even more fantastic right now." Haas, a wild card entrant and the oldest player in the singles draw at 34, was subdued after clinching the title at Gerry Weber Stadion.

 "First of all I think I was surprised," Haas said. "I knew that on the other side of the court there is a good friend of mine and a player I really respect a lot.

 "When we got to the net, I told him I cannot believe that I was able to beat him again and he said I should enjoy it because I really played well, and that I deserved the win.

 "I'm not the kind of person to scream out loud on the court but inside I felt a great happiness.

" Federer, the current world number three, was gracious in defeat, but sent a warning to his rivals ahead of Wimbledon.

 "If there is one person I would have liked to win this it was Tommy," Federer said. "It was a beautiful tournament for him, winning here in Germany.

 "He didn't show as many emotions as one might have expected but that was possibly the shock and not wanting to celebrate too much in front of me although he is absolutely allowed to do so.

 "It would have been amazing to have gone to Wimbledon with the (Halle) title but even without I am feeling good and I am convinced that I will play a great tournament and that I will be difficult to beat."

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Nadal makes history in Paris

Spaniard Rafael Nadal defeated world number one Novak Djokovic to claim a record-breaking seventh French Open title on Monday.

 In a final completed a day late following a rain postponement on Sunday, the world number two triumphed 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5, sealing championship point on the fourth double fault of the match from Djokovic.

 Nadal's victory sees him eclipse the record he held jointly with Bjorn Borg of six Roland Garros titles, while the loss ended Djokovic's aspiration to hold all four Grand Slams simultaneously.

 Play had been washed out on Sunday and was scheduled to resume on Monday, with Nadal leading by two sets to one, but he was down a break in the fourth set when rain forced players to leave Court Philippe Chatrier.

 However, the 26-year-old Nadal, who had lost the three previous Grand Slam finals to the Serbian, broke back in first game on Monday.

 The match seemed destined for a fourth-set tie-breaker but Nadal earned a break point and went on to secure the championship crown, his first major title since emerging victorious in Paris last year.

 Nadal now has 11 Grand Slam titles to his name, level with Bjorg and Rod Laver, with only Roger Federer (16), Pete Sampras (14) and Roy Emerson (12) holding more.

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French Open: Agnieszka Radwanska ousts Venus Williams

Former world number one Venus Williams followed her sister Serena out of the French Open, losing 6-2 6-3 to third seed Agnieszka Radwanska in round two.

Unseeded Venus, the seven-time Grand Slam winner now ranked 53 following illness, was beaten in exactly an hour.

Top seed Victoria Azarenka eased through with a 6-1 6-1 victory over Germany's Dinah Pfizenmaier.

Eighth seed Marion Bartoli served 14 double faults as she surprisingly lost 6-2 3-6 6-3 to Croatia's Petra Martic.

Venus, who began the year at 134 in the world rankings after being diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, a fatigue-inducing autoimmune disease, has never won the French Open. Her best effort came in 2002 when she lost in the final to her sister.

The 31-year-old was never able to trouble Radwanska on Court Phillipe Chartrier, the scene of Serena's shock three-set defeat against Virginie Razzano 24 hours earlier.

She lost her opening service game and Radwanska, who has won three titles this year, secured the first set with an ace after 28 minutes.

The 23-year-old Polish player, who has yet to progress beyond the quarter-final stage in a Grand Slam event, combined outstanding fitness with some flawless strokeplay.

In the next round she will play 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova , who needed a second set tie-break to overcome Yung-Jan Chan in an hour and 41 minutes.

US Open winner Sam Stosur beat American Irina Falconi 6-1 6-4 and next faces 27th seed Nadia Petrova of Russia.

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