2006 Italian Open – Men's Singles

Rafael Nadal recovered from the brink of defeat against Roger Federer to capture the Rome Masters and equal the record for consecutive wins on clay. Nadal came back from 1–4 down and saved two match points in the final set before triumphing 6–7^(0–7), 7–6^(7–5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6^(7–5).

The win, which took over five hours, took Nadal to 53 straight wins on clay, matching Guillermo Vilas' record. It also put the 19-year-old level with Björn Borg on 16 titles won as a teenager.

Federer, who had beaten Nadal only once in five attempts before the Rome Masters, started well, clinching a high-quality first set after playing a near-perfect tiebreak. And the world number one was on top for most of the second set but Nadal's trademark battling qualities kept him in it and out of the blue, he somehow earned a set point at 5–4. The teenager was unable to take that one but edged another tiebreak to draw level.

The momentum was by now with Nadal and he looked to have made a decisive move when a break at 2–2 gave him the third set. He had chances to break early in the fourth set but the Spaniard let his struggling opponent off the hook and Federer made him pay. The top seed raced through the fourth set and took control of the decider by taking a 4–1 lead. The Rome crowd, including Prince Albert of Monaco and Omar Sharif, looked on in disbelief as first Nadal levelled at 4–4 then fought off Federer again at 5–6. Nadal's double fault, the first of the match from either player, helped Federer earn two match points but the world number one's usually reliable forehand failed him on both occasions and the Spaniard survived.

Federer still had chances to win in the tiebreak which he led 5–3, in particular when he mishit a forehand which would have given him a 6–3 lead. However, Nadal underlined his talent on the dirt by clinching the tiebreaker and wrapping up his fifth win in six attempts over Federer.

A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.

Key

Finals

	Semifinals							Final
	1	Roger Federer	6	3	77
	4	David Nalbandian	3	6	65
								1	Roger Federer	77	65	4	6	65
								2	Rafael Nadal	60	77	6	2	77
		Gaël Monfils	2	2
	2	Rafael Nadal	6	6

Top half

Section 1

	First round							Second round							Third round							Quarterfinals
	1	R Federer	6	6
		J I Chela	2	1				1	R Federer	6	77
	WC	P Starace	6	6				WC	P Starace	3	62
		D Tursunov	4	1											1	R Federer	6	6
		J Nieminen	6	6											14	R Štěpánek	1	4
		S Grosjean	2	1					J Nieminen	4	65
		F López	4	4				14	R Štěpánek	6	77
	14	R Štěpánek	6	6																		1	R Federer	6	62	7
	11	D Ferrer	5	0																		Q	N Almagro	3	77	5
		J Acasuso	7	6					J Acasuso	4	6	4
	Q	N Almagro	7	6				Q	N Almagro	6	2	6
		N Massú	5	4											Q	N Almagro	78
		F Verdasco	6	2	6										6	N Davydenko	66	r
	WC	S Bolelli	4	6	1				F Verdasco	1	6	0
		B Pašanski	1	4				6	N Davydenko	6	3	6
	6	N Davydenko	6	6

Section 2

	First round							Second round							Third round							Quarterfinals
	4	D Nalbandian	6	3	6
	Q	F Vicente	2	6	3			4	D Nalbandian	6	6
		P-H Mathieu	6	6					P-H Mathieu	2	4
		J C Ferrero	1	3											4	D Nalbandian	7	6
	Q	A Martín	6	6											Q	A Martín	5	4
		D Sanguinetti	2	4				Q	A Martín	6	77
	WC	D Bracciali	6	2	4			13	N Kiefer	3	63
	13	N Kiefer	4	6	6																	4	D Nalbandian	6	6
	9	G Coria	3	2																			M Ančić	3	3
	Q	R Ramírez Hidalgo	6	6				Q	R Ramírez Hidalgo	0	78	77
		M Safin	7	3	6				M Safin	6	66	63
	Q	T Gabashvili	5	6	1										Q	R Ramírez Hidalgo	3	77	5
		M Ančić	6	6												M Ančić	6	64	7
		L Horna	4	4					M Ančić	3	712	6
		F Serra	6	77					F Serra	6	610	0
	7	J Blake	4	63

Bottom half

Section 3

	First round							Second round							Third round							Quarterfinals
	5	A Roddick	6	6
		V Hănescu	1	0				5	A Roddick	3	6	6
		M Baghdatis	7	6					M Baghdatis	6	1	2
		O Rochus	5	4											5	A Roddick	77	6
	Q	S Galvani	6	6												G Rusedski	64	2
		J Novák	3	4				Q	S Galvani	64	4
		G Rusedski	5	6	6				G Rusedski	77	6
	12	T Robredo	7	3	4																	5	A Roddick	2	3
	16	R Ginepri	3	6	6																		G Monfils	6	6
		M Mirnyi	6	2	3			16	R Ginepri	1	6	4
		G Monfils	6	3	6				G Monfils	6	4	6
		T Haas	2	6	4											G Monfils	79	6
	Q	J Mónaco	6	2	3											F Santoro	67	2
		F Santoro	4	6	6				F Santoro	77	6
		D Hrbatý	5	77	6				D Hrbatý	62	3
	3	I Ljubičić	7	64	4

Section 4

	First round							Second round							Third round							Quarterfinals
	8	G Gaudio	6	3	3
		X Malisse	4	6	6				X Malisse	2	1
		P Srichaphan	1	3					T Berdych	6	6
		T Berdych	6	6												T Berdych	2	4
		M Youzhny	6	79											10	F González	6	6
		A Seppi	2	67					M Youzhny	4	7	3
		S Wawrinka	4	4				10	F González	6	5	6
	10	F González	6	6																		10	F González	4	3
	15	T Johansson	77	6																		2	R Nadal	6	6
	Q	F Fognini	63	3				15	T Johansson	68	1
		T Henman	7	77					T Henman	710	6
	WC	A di Mauro	5	62												T Henman	2	2
		A Murray	4	4											2	R Nadal	6	6
		F Volandri	6	6					F Volandri	1	2
		C Moyà	1	6	2			2	R Nadal	6	6
	2	R Nadal	6	2	6

Seeds

Qualifiers

Qualifying draw

First qualifier

	First round							Qualifying competition
	1	Nicolás Almagro	6	6
		Flavio Cipolla	2	3
								1	Nicolás Almagro	6	6
									George Bastl	0	4
		George Bastl	6	6
	15	Guillermo García-López	2	0

Second qualifier

	First round							Qualifying competition
	2	Alberto Martín	6	6
	WC	Thomas Fabbiano	1	2
								2	Alberto Martín	6	6
								12	Igor Kunitsyn	3	4
		Gilles Elseneer	3	4
	12	Igor Kunitsyn	6	6

Third qualifier

	First round							Qualifying competition
	3	Novak Djokovic	6	6
		Francesco Aldi	2	3
								3	Novak Djokovic	64	6	3
								WC	Fabio Fognini	77	1	6
	WC	Fabio Fognini	6	6
	10	Răzvan Sabău	2	4

Fourth qualifier

	First round							Qualifying competition
	4	Jonas Björkman	4	4
	WC	Stefano Galvani	6	6
								WC	Stefano Galvani	6	1	6
								16	Juan Antonio Marín	2	6	1
		Evgeny Korolev	1	4
	16	Juan Antonio Marín	6	6

Fifth qualifier

	First round							Qualifying competition
	5	Wesley Moodie	7	5	2
		Teymuraz Gabashvili	5	7	6
									Teymuraz Gabashvili	6	4	6
								11	Dick Norman	3	6	1
		Alejandro Falla	1	2
	11	Dick Norman	6	6

Sixth qualifier

	First round							Qualifying competition
	6	Vincent Spadea	1	5
		Giorgio Galimberti	6	7
									Giorgio Galimberti	3	2
								13	Juan Mónaco	6	6
		Federico Luzzi	2	2
	13	Juan Mónaco	6	6

Seventh qualifier

	First round							Qualifying competition
	7	Fernando Vicente	6	6
		Lars Burgsmüller	4	1
								7	Fernando Vicente	6	6
								14	Oliver Marach	3	3
		Antony Dupuis	66	3
	14	Oliver Marach	78	6

Eighth qualifier

	First round							Qualifying competition
	8	Flávio Saretta	6	6
		Nicolás Lapentti	4	2
								8	Flávio Saretta	4	6	3
								9	Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo	6	4	6
	WC	Gianluca Naso	4	3
	9	Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo	6	6

• Singles draw
• Singles qualifying draw