Rafael Nadal defeated John Isner in straight sets on Sunday to win the Cincinnati Masters and secure his return to No.2 in the world.

The 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-3) success marks the first time in his career that Nadal has won back-to-back hardcourt titles.

He had never even reached the finals in Cincinnati.

“This is just amazing,” Nadal said after winning a title that had long eluded him. “This year was the first one that I feel I played well.”

Nadal, seeded fourth, didn’t have a break point against his unseeded opponent for the entire match.

But he saved the three he faced and came through in the tiebreakers to seal the win in one hour and 54 minutes and stamp himself a favourite for the US Open – the final grand slam of the year that starts next Monday in New York.

The 27-year-old Spaniard won the Montreal Masters last week and has nine titles in 2013.

It is Nadal’s fifth Masters title of the season – a career best. He is tied with world No.1 Novak Djokovic for most Masters titles in a season since 1990. He’s 53-3 this year and has reached the finals in 11 of his past 12 tournaments.

The giant, big-serving Isner had one of his best weeks, knocking off the top-seeded Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

“I knew I had to come to this match and play well, and I thought I played well,” Isner said. “I beat three top-10 guys. I couldn’t beat four.”