Serena Williams, Nadal win Madrid Open

MADRID - Serena Williams kept the No. 1, and added No. 50.

Williams beat Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Open Sunday to retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title, while Rafael Nadal saw off Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 for his fifth title since returning from a knee injury.

The second-ranked Sharapova would have taken the top ranking with a win, but Williams stormed to an early lead as Sharapova struggled with her serve.

Despite Sharapova briefly recovering her poise in the second set, Williams’ form never dipped as she defended her title.

Williams improved her record against Sharapova to 13-2, with her only two losses coming in 2004.

Cheered on by the home crowd at the Caja Magica, the fifth-ranked Nadal cruised to his 55th career title and extended his head-to-head record with Wawrinka to 9-0. It was Nadal’s seventh straight final since coming back from a nagging case of tendinitis in his left knee that sidelined him for seven months. AP