Roger Federer claimed his fourth career Cincinnati Masters title on Sunday, defeating American Mardy Fish in three sets 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1), 6-4. Federer, who defended his title, becomes the first back-to-back champion at the tournament since Andre Agassi achieved the feat in 1995 and 1996.
Both Federer and Fish came into the match serving extremely well. It was a battle to see who could break whose serve first. That edge, and ultimately the title, went Federer's way.
After losing a tough first-set tiebreaker to Fish, Federer did not drop a point on his serve during the entire second-set tiebreaker. Federer closed out the breaker with an ace and a motivational scream, propelling himself into the third set. He only lost one point during the entire second-set tiebreaker.
Federer finally broke Fish's serve in the ninth game of the third set, as he was able to capture a commanding 5-4 lead. He successfully served the match out in his next service game to claim the title.
Although Fish's serve was impenetrable until the 35th game on Sunday, Federer's groundstrokes were far superior to the American's throughout the match. Federer won 12 more total points than Fish, was not broken once, and generated more groundstroke winners. Federer also had a better first serve percentage at 64, compared to Fish at 56. Federer also eclipsed Fish's numbers on first-serve and second-serve points won.
Federer, the tournament's third seed, claims his second ATP title of the year. His only other victory on tour was at this year's Australian Open in January. Federer has not won less than three events in a calendar year since 2001. The former world No. 1 heads into the U.S. Open looking to claim his third title of the year and his 17th career major.
Federer has performed well two weeks in a row now. As a result of his victory at the Cincinnati Masters and his runner-up finish at the Toronto Masters, Federer cements his place as a No. 2 seed at the U.S. Open – guaranteeing a spot on the other side of the U.S. Open draw to No. 1 Rafael Nadal.
Fish, who fell a bit short on Sunday, has had an amazing summer on the court this year. Since Wimbledon, the American has won 16 of his last 18 matches, including two tournament titles.
Although he has been an unseeded wild card for most of the summer, he surges into the U.S. Open. His serve has been one of the fiercest on tour all summer, and he will be a very troubling out for the field at Flushing Meadows. Fish lost 30 pounds since last summer when he motivated himself into shape after undergoing knee surgery that forced him to miss last year's U.S. Open.
The U.S. Open will begin on Aug. 30.
