Svitolina beats Wozniacki in Toronto for Rogers title
TORONTO » Sleep-deprived and physically drained, Elina Svitolina could have been excused for a flat performance Sunday.
Instead she fought through the fatigue and toppled yet another top-10 opponent for her fifth WTA Tour title of the season.
Running on fumes in her third match in just over 24 hours, Svitolina defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-0 to win the Rogers Cup.
“I’m just very happy that it’s finished,” Svitolina said. “And with a title, it’s even more special.”
Wet weather on Friday forced Svitolina to play her quarterfinal Saturday morning. Tired from a late night and nursing a minor right Achilles tendon injury, her expectations were low.
She didn’t even bother packing a second outfit for the evening semifinal and had a flight booked to the next WTA Tour stop in Cincinnati.
Svitolina went on to eliminate fourth-ranked Garbine Muguruza in the quarters. She went back to the hotel to get changed and then returned to Aviva Centre to trounce secondranked Simona Halep.
Svitolina hand-washed an outfit for Sunday’s final, changed her flight, and capped the tournament with an emphatic victory over the sixth-ranked Wozniacki on a breezy, sunny afternoon.
“I was very, very tired after the first game of the first set,” Svitolina said. “And I knew that I needed to give everything because Caroline doesn’t miss much . ... Emotionally I was relieved when I won the first set and then was playing better and better in the second.
Zverev upsets Federer for Rogers title
MONTREAL » Alexander Zverev’s hot streak is still alive. Roger Federer’s win streak is over.
The German beat Federer 6-3, 6-4 in the Rogers Cup final on Sunday for his 10th consecutive victory.
The 20-year-old Zverev, the winner last week in Washington, D.C., matched Federer with a fifth tournament title this year. He also stopped Federer’s win streak at 16.
He will try to keep it going at an event in Cincinnati this week.
“It’s something amazing, back-to-back weeks,” said Zverev, who handed Federer only his third loss of the year. “I feel great.
“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.
The fourth-seeded Zverev won $894,585 while the second-seeded Federer got $438,635.