Young gun Nadal pulls off 'unbelievable' dream

Rafael Nadal floored tough Argentine Mariano Puerta in four sets to become the first man in 23 years to win the French Open on his debut.

The 19-year-old Spaniard beat Puerta 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 to emulate Mats Wilander's success of 1982.

It was also his sixth title on clay this year and his 24th straight win - the longest streak by a teenager since tennis turned professional in 1968.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Nadal knelt on the clay court and raised his arms before shaking hands with King Juan Carlos of Spain and then clambering over seats to embrace his tearful family in the stands.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "It's a dream come true. I didn't think I was going to cry, but my whole family was emotional. In the end, I started crying too."

Nadal also became the youngest grand slam champion since

Michael Chang of the United States won at Roland Garros 16 years ago.

Throughout the match Nadal leapt into the air when applying exertion on his top spin, hammering the ball relentlessly into the corners. It proved too much for Puerta.

He pushed Nadal as hard as anyone over the past fortnight, even Roger Federer, but could not halt his tormentor's charge.

"I lost to an excellent player," said the 26-year-old, who this time last year was serving a nine-month suspension for having taken the banned substance clenbuterol to cope with an asthma attack.