CINCINNATI:Daniil Medvedev, coming off back-to-back ATP finals defeats, held off DavidGoffin 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 Sunday to win the ATP Cincinnati Masters. Theninth-seeded Russian finished with an ace after saving break points in thefinal game, lifting a first Masters 1000 trophy after settling for runner-upfinishes to Nick Kyrgios in Washington and Rafael Nadal in Montreal lastweekend.
"These havebeen the best three weeks of my life," Medvedev said. "My mentalitywas the best, my serve was the best, my tennis has been really consistent."I didn't have one bad match, I hope to continue this way for next fewweeks." After his full-on post-Wimbledon schedule, the winner admitted:"I'm so exhausted, I almost can't talk now." He also revealed that hewas starting to cramp in the final game, when he tossed his racquet in angerbefore saving break points.
"I think myMontreal final against Rafa was important," he said of hanging on. "Iwas maybe able to use that experience that I had and David did not."Medvedev, who only recently gained the ATP Top 10, now will find himself rankedfifth as a result of his three-week run of form. "I don't check therankings every two minutes, but I do look after I do well at a tournament,"he said. "If I had lost I'd be seventh, now I'm fifth." Medvedevfollowed up his semi-final upset of defending champion Novak Djokovic as hecontrolled feisty Belgian Goffin to win an ATP leading 31st hardcourt match.
He has the mostmatch wins on any surface this year with 43. Spanish superstar Nadal, who didnot play this week -- is second with 41, followed by Roger Federer on 39.Medvedev stamped himself a contender for the US Open, the final Grand Slam ofthe season that starts in Flushing Meadows in a week. Goffin was competing inhis second final of 2019 after losing to Federer in Halle."Congratulations to your team," he told Medvedev, "Once again,an unbelievable week for you, fantastic. "I think you are ready for NewYork."
Medvedev poweredto a 4-1 lead in the opening set but had to win it in a tiebreaker as Goffin,coached by 2002 Australian open winner Thomas Johansson, fought back. ButMedvedev's break in the opening game of the second set was all he needed as heavenged a loss to Goffin at Wimbledon this year. Earlier, Madison Keys camefrom a break down in both sets to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) onSunday to win the WTA Cincinnati crown. The 2017 US Open finalist notched herfifth career title and second this season after a win in Charleston in April.
She'll return tothe top 10 in the world rankings with the US Open a week away. Kuznetsova, atwo-time Grand Slam champion working her way back up the rankings after aseries of injuries, was broken back in the 10th game of each set by 16th-seededKeys -- who fired 13 aces on the way to victory. "If my team had told me aweek ago that I would be here, I would have laughed in their face,"admitted Keys, who had endured two opening-match defeats since a second-roundexit at Wimbledon. Keys belted a total of 43 winners with 33 unforced errorsand broke Kuznetsova three times.
Kuznetsova wasthe fourth Grand Slam winner Keys beat during the week, a string that includedSpain's Garbine Muguruza, reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep and VenusWilliams. "It was a tough draw from the very start," Keys said."I definitely think I played some of my best tennis consistently thisweek. I'm obviously really happy and really proud of myself," she added, whilestressing she won't let the performance put more pressure on her at the USOpen. "It's definitely more of a building block," she said.
Despite leadingboth sets, Kuznetsova never had a set point in either, Keys winning the finalfour games of the first set before dropping her serve in the third game of thesecond. Keys broke Kuznetsova to level at 5-all and ran out the winner in theensuing tiebreaker as the Russian sent a service return long on Keys's secondmatch point. "I just really focused in on obviously really important gamesand was able to make her play a lot of balls," Keys said. "I thinkwhen I was doing a good job at moving forward and kind of trying to neutralizesome of her deep, heavy, spinny shots, I was able to get out in front in thepoint and play a little bit more offense."
Former worldnumber two Kuznetsova, who received a wildcard into the draw, beat top seedAshleigh Barty, world number three Ashleigh Barty and 2017 US Open championSloane Stephens on her way to the final. "I had a lot of matches wherethey could have gone either way, including this one," said Kuznetsova, whowill jump from 118th to 31st in the rankings and said she'd had a "greatweek."
"I hadchances but she hit the ball well and was more aggressive. I'm happy with how Iplayed, I'm feeling great," she said. "It could give me moremotivation in the future," Kuznetsova added. "I just want to rest andget ready for the Open." - AFP