Djokovic-Federer, Serena-Halep in Cincinnati finals
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Novak Djokovic had to rally against a lowly qualifier to get another shot at a title he’s never won. Next in his way: Roger Federer, who has more Cincinnati trophies than anyone else.
Djokovic got a little help in the tiebreaker and pulled away to a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov on Saturday to reach the Western & Southern Open final.
He’ll face Federer, a six-time champion who has never lost a Cincinnati title match. “There’s always a lot at stake, this one in particular,” Federer said.
The top-ranked Djokovic is 0-4 career in finals at Cincinnati, where he’s never even won a set. It’s the only one of the nine ATP Masters to elude him.
A victory would make him the first player to win all nine ATP Masters during his career.
“I gave myself another chance to fight for the trophy,” Djokovic said. “That was the goal and that was the wish coming here in Cincinnati. Obviously last couple of years, it was always in the back of my mind, the potential history making, and obviously that motivates me even more.”
On the women’s side, defending champion Serena Williams gave herself a chance to make it two Cincinnati titles in a row. She beat 14th-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3.
Williams will face third-seeded Simona Halep, who beat Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-2 in the other semifinal. Halep’s win will move her ahead of Maria Sharapova, who withdrew from Cincinnati with a leg injury, into the No. 2 seed for the US Open.
Federer won the marquee matchup of the semifinals, using his steady serve to beat Andy Murray 6-4, 7-6 (6).
It’s his first tournament since he beat Murray in straight sets at Wimbledon before losing to Djokovic in the final.
Dolgopolov, ranked 66th, took advantage of Djokovic’s sluggish start and won the first set in 31 minutes. It wasn’t the first time that Djokovic has fallen behind to him: Dolgopolov got up 7-6, 4-1 at Miami earlier this season before losing in three sets.
Djokovic took a medical timeout after the fifth game of the second set and then took it to a tiebreaker. Up 5-4 and serving, Dolgopolov dumped a pair of backhand shots into the net. Djokovic closed out the 67-minute set with a forehand winner.
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