Roger Federer won his sixth Cincinnati title at the weekend beating sixth seed David Ferrer 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. It is Federer’s third title and first ATP 1000 trophy of the year. It was also his 16th win over the Spaniard in a rivalry in which he has never lost a match.
Federer did not have everything his own way though in a match he was the heavy favorite to win. Ferrer pushed him in the first set, earning four break points, but the Federer serve was too strong. Federer served at 60 percent on his first serve, and won 78 percent of those points, but it was on his second serve that he was so impressive. The Swiss won 67 percent of points behind his second delivery as he took the first set 6-3.
In the second set, the Spaniard came back at the Swiss at his counter-punching aggressive best, working his inside out forehand, and using his return, one of the best on the tour, to put the pressure on Federer. It worked. Federer’s first serve percentage dropped to 52 percent and his second serve dropped to 33 percent as Ferrer raced through the second set 6-1.
Federer, who is 2-5 in finals in 2014, re-established himself firmly in the third, breaking early and then stamping his authority in the match with his aggressive game style and his serve. The Swiss notched up a huge 84 percent first serve percentage, won 94 percent of points behind it. He also returned well, earning 8 break points and converting two of them. The on-form Swiss overwhelmed the man he had previously only lost two sets to on hard courts and took the third set 6-2.
The victory was Federer’s biggest of the year after going the distance in big finals in Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Wimbledon. It was his sixth Cincy title win and will boost his confidence as he goes into an even bigger event he would like to win for a sixth time: the US Open. Playing as aggressively and serving as well as he is, tennis fans will fancy his chances.
Commentary by Christian Deverille
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