Federer stunned by Zverev in Montreal final
German fourth seed Alexander Zverev upset Roger Federer 6-3 64 in the Rogers Cup final in Montreal yesterday to join the Swiss right-hander as the most trophyladen player on the ATP Tour this year with five titles.
The 20-year-old German, who arrived in Montreal fresh off his triumph in Washington, proved up for the task right out of the gate as he had the Swiss second seed on his heels from the start on a sunkissed afternoon.
Zverev was poised and aggressive off the ground to create space for his power game and displayed some short-angled winners off thumping forehands and backhands to grab an early break for a 3-1 lead. He consolidated for a 4-1 lead and ultimately closed out the opening set after a mere 30 minutes.
Federer started to find his groove early in the second set but suddenly appeared out of sorts while Zverev broke in the seventh game to pull ahead 4-3 and then held on for a surprise win that took 68 minutes.
The win improved Zverev to 5-1 in finals this year with the only defeat coming at the hands of Federer at Halle.
The second-seeded Federer used a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over unseeded Robin Haase of the Netherlands on Saturday to reach his sixth final of the year and win his 16th consecutive match.
He had considering skipping the event, which would have been disastrous for the promoters with world No. 1 Andy Murray as well as Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka already out with injuries. But Federer decided to play and had a chance to add to a tally that includes Australian Open and Wimbledon titles this year.
"I'm very happy that I've made it here," he said. "It was a good decision for me. If I would have known I would have gone to the finals, I would have said 'yes' right away. Sometimes you've just got to wait and see how you feel. I'm most happy that I'm actually really healthy going into the finals. I haven't wasted too much energy. I've been able to keep points short. I've been really clean at net. I think my concentration and just my playing has gone up a notch. I'm just playing better."
Federer was looking for a third Rogers Cup title, but his first in Montreal, having won in 2004 and 2006 in Toronto. A victory would have given Federer, currently ranked third in the world, one of the top two seeds at the US Open beginning August 28 in New York. The 36-year-old Federer had his longest winning streak since 2012.
Alexander Zverev stopped Denis Shapovalov's impressive run with a 6-4, 7-5 victory in the second semifinal.
Federer has won of their three meetings, including a victory over the German on grass in June.
Shapovalov's tournament included consecutive wins over 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and top-seeded Spanish star Rafael Nadal. The victories, and the shaggy-haired youngster's style and skill on the court, announced his presence not only to Canadian fans but to the tennis world.