NOVAK DJOKOVIC made it four titles in a row with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Roger Federer in the Italian Open final.

The Serbian took a few weeks off after his Monte Carlo triumph, but there were no signs of rustiness in Rome, where he eased to a 22nd successive win.

The first set went with serve until World No.1 Djokovic broke Federer in the 10th game, with another break early in the second enough to see off the challenge of the Swiss.

Djokovic has now won the Italian Open on four occasions and will be the man to beat when the French Open begins next Monday.

In the women's tournament, Maria Sharapova claimed her third Rome title after coming from behind to beat Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in two hours and 35 minutes.

"It wasn't easy to find a rhythm out there, with the way she plays, and the wind - I really had to adjust," Sharapova said.

"But I'm proud I was able to stay in there. I never felt I was playing very clean until the end of the third set. So it shows that it's good to hang in there and stay positive.

"In the end I was the fresher one, and the more aggressive one, so it's all a positive. And looking at how I started the clay court season in Stuttgart and where I am now, I feel I'm in a much better spot."

Meanwhile, Linlithgow's Colin Fleming and former Wimbledon champion Jonny Marray have been handed a daunting first-round draw at the Nice Open where their first-round opponents are Canada's Daniel Nestor and Austrian Alex Peya, the No.2 seeds.

The Britons reached clay court semi-finals this season in Bucharest and Aix-en-Provence, and they are looking for more match practice before the French Open.