Barty, Zverev notch Cincy finals wins

MASON, Ohio – Ash Barty bounced back from a disappointing loss at the Tokyo Olympics. Gold medalist Alexander Zverev carried over his momentum from Tokyo.

Both are in fine form heading into the U.S. Open, which begins a week from Monday in New York.

The top-ranked Barty won her fifth title of the season, taking eight of the last nine games from wild card Jil Teichmann for a 6-3, 6-1 victory in the Western & Southern Open final on Sunday.

Zverev, too, had a relatively easy time in the Cincinnati final, winning the first four games en route to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over seventh-ranked Andrey Rublev.

The match lasted 58 minutes, a welcome result for Zverev after a grueling three-set semifinal win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Saturday.

“It’s been an awesome week,” Zverev said. “This is an incredible feeling going into New York.”

Barty, who won her first Wimbledon title in July before getting upset in the first round at the Olympics, didn’t drop a set in four Cincinnati matches and was pushed just once to a tiebreaker.

“It’s been an awesome week,” Barty said. “I felt like, each match, I got better and better in most parts of my game. I was just excited to get some matches under my belt in some tough conditions, and I think it put us in good stead going to New York.”

Last year’s Western & Southern Open was moved from Cincinnati to the U.S. Open site at Flushing Meadows because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teichmann had a surprising run, upsetting second-ranked Naomi Osaka, Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic and fourth-ranked Karolina Pliskova.

MULLANE/USA TODAY SPORTS SUSAN Ashleigh Barty returns a shot against Jil Teichmann during the Western and Southern Open final on Sunday.