Nalbandian posed with some Paris models after his victory

The Argentine inflicted Nadal's first ever defeat in the French capital to lift his second Masters trophy in a row following his Madrid win.

Nalbandian beat Nadal and world number one Roger Federer at both tournaments.

The 25-year will be rewarded with a return to the top 10 when the new rankings are released on Monday.

He is now the first alternate for the end-of-season Masters Cup, and with rumours suggesting Andy Roddick could pull out, Nalbandian could yet go to Shanghai.

He was in exactly the same position in 2005 when he stepped in for Roddick and went on to win the title with a famous five-set win over Federer.

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The Argentine, who suffered knee and back injuries earlier in year, had failed to make single a semi-final before heading to the Madrid Masters.

However, the former Wimbledon finalist finally found his form in Spain, beating Nadal, Federer and world number three Novak Djokovic on his way to his first Masters Series trophy.

He continued that form in Paris, beating Federer for the seventh time in the third round before a one-sided win over Nadal.

"All week I was playing great, and I don't know why the result was so easy," said Nalbandian, who is the first man to do the Madrid-Paris double since Marat Safin in 2004.

"After I broke him, I felt that I was playing better than him. I play more relaxed, start hitting winners almost from everywhere. That gave me confidence."

Nadal, the three-times French Open champion, lost the second set in only 27 minutes as his serve fell apart.

"He played better than me," he said. "You have to congratulate him. I could not play at my best."