Federer, Serena win Cincinnati titles

Swiss second-seed beat David Ferrer to capture sixth title while American top-seed saw off Ana Ivanovic in straight sets

Federer has now won six Cincinnati Open titles [Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports]

Roger Federer’s hopes of adding to his record grand slam haul got a boost as he beat Spain’s David Ferrer 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to win the Western and Southern Open title in Cincinnati in the last key US Open tune-up event.

In the women’s event, Serena Williams blew away Serbian Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1 to win her first title in Cincinnati.

The title was the sixth at Cincinnati for Federer, the second seed and, coming off last week’s runner-up finish in Toronto, will give him plenty of confidence going into the year’s final grand slam.

“I thought the final was good. The whole tournament was really good for me,” Federer told ESPN. “I’ve been beating top-10 (players) along the way and just enjoying myself out on court, playing some positive tennis, so it’s really encouraging.”

“It feels great,” added Federer, who beat fifth-seed Milos Raonic and eighth-seed Andy Murray en route capturing his third trophy from eight finals this season.

Breaking through

For Serena, meanwhile, this was her first title in six visits to Cincinnati and sent a message that she is in top form heading into the year’s final grand slam, where she is the two-time defending champion.

“It’s just amazing to finally win here,” said Williams, who fired a dozen aces and broke her opponent four times. “The fans were amazing and it’s so wonderful to be here.”

It marked the fifth title of the year for the 32-year-old American following wins in Stanford, Rome, Miami and Brisbane.

For 26-year-old Ivanovic, a former world number one who was chasing her fourth title of the year, her run to the Cincinnati final will put her back in the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time in five years.

Source: Reuters