Nadal continues as master of hard-court circuit
Azarenka ends Williams’ 14-match winning streak
CINCINNATI Not even John Isner’s steamiest serves could keep Rafael Nadal from winning another hard-court title.
The 27- year- old Spaniard took advantage of the few openings he got Sunday against the top-ranked American, grinding out a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (3) win at the Western & Southern Open that added yet another title to his sensational summer.
He won the title in Montreal a week ago and now has back-to-back hard-court championships for the first time in his illustrious career. He’d never even reached the finals in Cincinnati.
“To win in Montreal and now here in Cincinnati means a lot to me,” he said.
It was his fifth Masters title of the season, a career best. Nadal is now tied with Novak Djokovic for most Masters titles in a season since 1990. He’s won seven of the nine Masters events during his career.
Given the way he’s playing, there could be much more ahead the rest of the year.
On the women’s side, like Nadal, Serena Williams was trying for her second championship in two weeks, fresh off her championship in Toronto. She dominated the first set, then fell apart, giving No. 2 Victoria Azarenka a chance to rally for a 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) win that ended Williams’ 14-match winning streak. It was reminiscent of their finals match at the U.S. Open last year, when Williams took the last four games to win 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
Williams has dominated this season, going 60-4. She has never done well in Cincinnati, and was eager to win on Sunday for a career-best ninth title of the season. All the statistics were in her favour — a 12-2 career record against Azarenka, including that U.S. Open title last year.
She won the first set in 26 minutes, dropping only 11 points. Then, she got sloppy in a second set that bogged down. The sixth game went to deuce 12 times before Williams held serve on the 30th point. Williams appeared to wear down and lost the set 6-2.
Williams broke Azarenka and took the decisive set to a tiebreaker. She led 5-4, then lost the next two points off her serve, allowing Azarenka to finish it off in 2 hours, 29 minutes.
As for Nadal, he has dominated the tour after overcoming a knee injury that sidelined him for the last part of 2012. The win on Sunday gave him a career-best mark of 53-3 this season. He’s reached the finals in 11 of his last 12 tournaments, underscoring his consistent excellence.