Rafael Nadal kept up his awesome dominance of Roger Federer on clay with a 7-5 6-7 6-3 victory over his great rival in the final of the Hamburg Masters on Sunday.

After another enthralling battle between the world's two best players, the Spaniard increased his lead to 8-1 in head-to-heads on the red stuff and 10-6 on all surfaces.

The victory will also give Nadal a huge boost ahead of this month's French Open.

In a match of ever-changing fortunes, Federer had his chances but it was the Spaniard who produced the big shots when it really mattered.

It also gave Nadal sweet revenge over the world number one, who ended the Spaniard's 81-match winning run on clay when taking the title here 12 months ago.