Zverev outguns Federer in Montreal
MONTREAL — Alexander Zverev’s hot streak is still alive.
The German downed a listlesslooking Roger Federer, 6-3, 6-4, in the Rogers Cup tennis final on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Zverev, the winner last week in Washington, D.C., posted a 10th straight match victory and ended Federer’s winning streak at 16. The German also equalled Federer with a fifth tournament victory this year.
He will try to keep it going at an event in Cincinnati this week.
“It’s something amazing, backto-back weeks,” said Zverev, who handed Federer only his third loss of the year. “I feel like I’m playing some of the best tennis of my life. But Cincinnati is a very tough draw. I don’t know if I will be able to go far there because I am a little bit tired. But game-wise and confidence-wise, I’m super happy the way everything is standing.”
He avenged a loss to Federer at Halle, Germany on June 25 and evened their career head-to-head record at two wins apiece.
Fourth-seeded Zverev won $894,585 US, while second-seeded Federer got $438,635.
Zverev used some sharp ground strokes to keep Federer from taking control early and get the only service break he needed to win the first set.
The lanky German escaped a break point at 1-0 in the second set with consecutive aces, and an off form looking Federer never challenged again.
Federer said he only felt “aches and pains” from playing in his first tournament of the hard court season, but it looked to be more than that. Zverev said he only noticed that his opponent’s serve wasn’t quite as hard.
In the doubles final, fifth-seeded Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut defeated seventh-seeded Rohan Bopanna of India and Ivan Dodig of Croatia, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6.