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CINCINNATI. — Alexander Zverev backed up his Olympic tennis triumph with a fifth ATP Masters 1000 title as he crushed Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-3 in Cincinnati on Sunday.
The German needed less than an hour against his longtime childhood friend and rival to lift the trophy and put himself into a solid position with the US Open starting next week on Monday.
“The US Open starts in a week’s time, so obviously I want to keep it up and I want to maybe play even better there,” Zverev said.
Women’s world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty was similarly impressive in winning her fifth title of the season at the combined ATP and WTA event, cruising past Swiss wild card Jil Teichmann 6-3, 6-1.
The Australian, who will keep a firm grip on the No. 1 ranking as the final Grand Slam of the year approaches, took control mid-way through the opening set and was never truly threatened.
“It’s been an awesome week, with each match it was getting progressively better,” Barty said.
“Today I was able to trust myself and play with confidence, which was important in a big final.
“I’m excited to get matches in tough conditions here in Cincy going into New York.”
Zverev showed no effects from the stomach discomfort which forced him to take a medical timeout during his draining semifinal victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Saturday.
Zverev won his 11th match in a row and his fifth against Rublev, a player he’s been playing since their junior days. The German came into the week with six defeats in prior Cincinnati appearances, but turned that negative on its head.
“My first win here was on Wednesday and now I’m holding the title four days later,” he said.
“It’s been an incredible week, I had a lot of great matches. It’s a great feeling going into the Open.” — AFP.
Online Reporter