Roger Federer solidified his status as the favorite to win the U.S. Open by winning the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters title in Cincinnati on Sunday 6–1, 7–5 over fourth seed Novak Djokovic.
The match was played in slightly cloudy weather, which prevented the court from heating up excessively. The Cincinnati tournament has been known for its humidity and on-court temperatures, which can exceed 100 degrees.
In winning the tournament, Federer did a couple of things he hadn’t done for some time.
In the semis, he downed Britain’s Andy Murray, who had beaten him the last four times they had met. Federer dominated Murray in the semis without facing a break point.
Djokovic had beaten Federer the last two times they had met. But on Sunday, the Federer Express jumped all over the Serb and steamrolled to an easy first set win.
The turning point of the first set was Djokovic’s opening service game, which took 13 minutes. Djokovic fought off six break points before finally yielding.
Federer, a notoriously fast starter, broke Djokovic again in the fourth game of the first set.
Djokovic is a very complete player with a professional approach to improving his game. He played some of his best tennis in 2009 to beat No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal in Saturday’s second semifinal.
The tournament was blessed to have two blockbuster semifinal match-ups as the top four men in the world all made it.
In each of the last two times Djokovic beat Federer, he dropped the first set. So he didn’t need to be excessively worried after a poor first set.
Djokovic opened the second set by holding serve and then broke Federer to go up 2–0.
But the Express got back on track and broke back to 2–3. In a back-and-forth second set, Federer got the decisive break in the 11th game and then served out the match.
Djokovic had problems on serve all day long, as Federer had 15 break point opportunities. The Swiss now holds a 8–4 record against Djokovic.
“He was too good today,” said Djokovic after the match in an interview with CBS Sports.
Roger Federer really cast aside any doubts about where his game is in winning his third Cincinnati title. His third-set collapse against Jo-Wilfried Songa in Montreal last week, is ancient history.
Federer himself acknowledged his level of play and how important it was to beat a red-hot Murray. “A good start always helps,” he said.
“I also played awesome yesterday [semis against Murray].”
When questioned about if he helps changing the diapers of his baby twin girls, Federer said, “What do you think? Of course I am!” He acknowledged the good timing of the birth of his girls, which has allowed him to compete in Montreal and Cincinnati and prepare extremely well for the U.S. Open.
Both players will take this week off in preparation for the U.S. Open in Flushing, which starts Aug. 31.
The match was played in slightly cloudy weather, which prevented the court from heating up excessively. The Cincinnati tournament has been known for its humidity and on-court temperatures, which can exceed 100 degrees.
In winning the tournament, Federer did a couple of things he hadn’t done for some time.
In the semis, he downed Britain’s Andy Murray, who had beaten him the last four times they had met. Federer dominated Murray in the semis without facing a break point.
Djokovic had beaten Federer the last two times they had met. But on Sunday, the Federer Express jumped all over the Serb and steamrolled to an easy first set win.
The turning point of the first set was Djokovic’s opening service game, which took 13 minutes. Djokovic fought off six break points before finally yielding.
Federer, a notoriously fast starter, broke Djokovic again in the fourth game of the first set.
Djokovic is a very complete player with a professional approach to improving his game. He played some of his best tennis in 2009 to beat No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal in Saturday’s second semifinal.
The tournament was blessed to have two blockbuster semifinal match-ups as the top four men in the world all made it.
In each of the last two times Djokovic beat Federer, he dropped the first set. So he didn’t need to be excessively worried after a poor first set.
Djokovic opened the second set by holding serve and then broke Federer to go up 2–0.
But the Express got back on track and broke back to 2–3. In a back-and-forth second set, Federer got the decisive break in the 11th game and then served out the match.
Djokovic had problems on serve all day long, as Federer had 15 break point opportunities. The Swiss now holds a 8–4 record against Djokovic.
“He was too good today,” said Djokovic after the match in an interview with CBS Sports.
Roger Federer really cast aside any doubts about where his game is in winning his third Cincinnati title. His third-set collapse against Jo-Wilfried Songa in Montreal last week, is ancient history.
Federer himself acknowledged his level of play and how important it was to beat a red-hot Murray. “A good start always helps,” he said.
“I also played awesome yesterday [semis against Murray].”
When questioned about if he helps changing the diapers of his baby twin girls, Federer said, “What do you think? Of course I am!” He acknowledged the good timing of the birth of his girls, which has allowed him to compete in Montreal and Cincinnati and prepare extremely well for the U.S. Open.
Both players will take this week off in preparation for the U.S. Open in Flushing, which starts Aug. 31.
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