Djokovic tops old nemesis to claim title
Novak Djokovic finally mastered the one tournament that’s eluded him, beating nemesis Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday for his first Western & Southern Open championship.
He got the better of a nostalgic rematch — they hadn’t played in two years because of injuries — and broke through in a tournament that Federer has won seven times, never losing a title match.
Djokovic is the first to claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 events since the series started in 1990.
It had become his personal quest after he lost in the finals five times — three against Federer.
Djokovic leads their all-time series 24-22, doing much better in the biggest matches.
He’s 3-1 against Federer in Grand Slam finals and 12-6 overall in championship matches, including wins at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2015.
Djokovic completed a long comeback from elbow surgery by winning his fourth Wimbledon title last month, then set out to get his hard-court game in order for the U.S. Open. He got better as the rainy week went on in Cincinnati, playing his best at the end.
Federer’s game was off — 28 unforced errors — and Djokovic took full advantage.
Earlier, top-ranked Simona Halep let a match point slip away during the second-set tiebreaker, and Kiki Bertens rallied for a 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2 victory in her first hardcourt final.
One point away from another loss, she had pulled off her biggest win, one that left her as stunned as everyone else. “I cannot find words for this moment,” she said.
The Dutch clay-court specialist ended Halep’s streak of nine straight wins. She’d never beaten a top-ranked player. Halep will still be ranked No. 1 through the U.S. Open. She fell to 0-3 in Cincinnati finals, finishing as the runner-up in 2015 and each of the last two years.