Second-seeded Rafael Nadal became the first player in the 34-year history of the ATP Masters Series Rome to win three consecutive titles with a 6-2 6-2 victory over sixth-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile on Sunday.

With his latest win at the claycourt tournament, Nadal added to the all-time record he set with Saturday's hard-fought semi-final win over Nikolay Davydenko, posting his 77th straight victory on the surface.

The previous record for most consecutive wins on any surface was John McEnroe, who won 75 in a row on indoor carpet from 1983-85.

Nadal improved to 17-0 in his career in this tournament.

American Jim Courier and Thomas Muster of Austria both won consecutive titles here in the 1990s.

Having not lost on clay since April 2005, the 20-year-old Nadal captured his 13th consecutive tournament on the surface, including the last two French Opens.

Play at Roland Garros this year begins May 27.

Although Gonzalez entered with three wins in four previous career meetings, Nadal toppled the Chilean here in the quarter-finals last year.

The 26-year-old Gonzalez rediscovered the form that saw him make a surprising run to the final of the Australian Open in January, when he beat Nadal in the quarter-finals.

Gonzalez bounced unseeded local favorite Filippo Volandri, 6-1 6-2, in Saturday's semi-finals.

Volandri scored the biggest upset of the tournament by dumping world number one Roger Federer in Thursday's third round.

The runner-up here last year, Federer will retain his world's top ranking for a 172nd consecutive week despite the win by Nadal.

The Swiss star is just 7-4 since having his 41-game match winning streak snapped by Guillermo Canas in the second round of the ATP Masters Series Indian Wells in March.

The event in Rome marked the fourth consecutive event that Federer has failed capture a title - his longest drought as world number one.