In 2015, the Rogers Cup came to a grand conclusion.
In the finale, Murray defeated Djokovic in three sets to win the championship, officially announcing Murray's full recovery and return to the giant position, triggering a tsunami! Then, the battle of the North American summer hard court season further climbed to a peak and spread towards Cincinnati.
Injury update:
Kei Nishikori and Kobe both missed the Cincinnati tournament due to injuries, which is undoubtedly a regret, a huge regret, for the tournament organizing committee.
This is not only the first time that Gao Wen has missed the Masters in his career, but also the second consecutive year that he has missed Cincinnati. Before he is about to officially step into the second year of his professional career, the waves are quietly stirring, and it can be felt in all aspects. Gao Wen has officially embarked on the professional path.
There is more good news than bad news.
Firstly, after an in-depth examination, Wawrinka, who withdrew from the competition due to injury last week, was found to be fine. After a brief adjustment, he announced that he would continue to compete in Cincinnati.
Secondly, Federer announced his return from injury, and after the wake-up call in the Wimbledon final, he started his journey to compete in the US Open.
then--
The battle in Cincinnati slowly began.
There were surprises, delights, excitement and climaxes... For the fans, they really couldn't ask for more.
Let’s talk about the accident first.
Nadal. After a brief recovery at the Rogers Cup, he struggled again in Cincinnati, losing in three sets to his Spanish compatriot Felipe Lopez, who has fallen out of the top 30 in the world rankings. The season has entered the second half, but he still cannot get rid of the impact of injuries.
Berdych has been in a long slump since the clay court season. He did not play well in the grass court season, which is his best. He still did not improve after switching to North America. He was upset in the first match in Toronto last week, and lost to Dolgopolov again after winning two consecutive games in Cincinnati.
Chadi, who reached the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup last week, was also highly expected this time, but he was defeated by Nadal in the second round. Facing a giant-level player, he still exposed his shortcomings and his ceiling was particularly obvious. There is no doubt that this is disappointing.
It's not just injuries. As you age, the ups and downs of your condition and recovery become increasingly difficult, which is also a threshold in competitive sports.
Let’s talk about surprises.
Gasquet. Lopez. Stan Wawrinka.
They are all representatives of the Challenger Alliance. They are carrying their own pressures due to different reasons and situations, and they are also trying to prove themselves.
Moreover, in Cincinnati, they all put in admirable performances, and on the road to advancement, they all had exciting matches that aroused cheers and applause from the audience, returning to the top eight and once again continuing the overall rise of the Challenger Alliance this year, so that the Youth Storm also seemed a little lonely.
And Dimitrov.
Strictly speaking, for Dimitrov, being eliminated in the round of 16 was not a surprise, far from it, as people had higher expectations of him.
But in fact, after Wimbledon, Dimitrov is gradually getting back to his best self.
Last week in Toronto, he lost to Sock in three hard-fought sets, with the score at 7:5 in the final set. It was a pity that he failed to hold on to the game and was eliminated in the round of 16.
This week in Cincinnati, he lost to Murray in three hard-fought sets. The second and third sets were both tie-breaks, and he lost both with scores of 7:3 and 10:8 respectively. It was very, very close. Unfortunately, he missed two match points and was eliminated in the round of 16 again.
Judging from the results alone, Dimitrov should be among the disappointing ones, but both games were deadlocked until the end and lost by a hair's breadth, especially the match against Murray. Facing Murray, who defeated Djokovic last week, Dimitrov's performance was absolutely remarkable.
After parting ways with Rashid, Dimitrov was not in a hurry to hire a new coach. People thought he might be lost; but in fact, Dimitrov is trying to adapt to the feeling of competing alone, and slowly regaining his confidence and feeling.
Finally, let’s talk about the highlights and climax.
Thousands of eyes are focused on the top four, but in fact, starting from the quarterfinals, the exciting matches continue one after another.
Upper half.
"Djokovic VS Wawrinka", this French Open final rematch was undoubtedly the highlight. The score was far from reflecting the excitement of this game, but in the end, the high-spirited Djokovic entered the super Saiyan state, successfully suppressed Wawrinka, and won in straight sets.
“6:4”, “6:1”, the world’s number one’s hard court strength is truly amazing.
"Dolgopolov VS Berdych", everyone thought that Berdych would win easily, but Dolgopolov, this strange player, got the most perfect draw in his career and then firmly grasped the opportunity.
He won two consecutive qualifying matches to enter the main draw, and then won the first round without a fight because his opponent retired due to injury. He then defeated two new generation players, Tomic and Janowic, to reach the quarterfinals. He seized the opportunity of Berdych's poor form and burst out with the strongest energy, easily defeating his opponent with a score of "2:0" to enter the semi-finals.
Following Chardy's emergence at the Rogers Cup, Cincinnati also became a performance stage for the Challenger League, with Dolgopolov making it all the way from the qualifying round to the semi-finals.
If anyone thinks that Dolgopolov simply "picked up" a place in the semi-finals and that Djokovic will win easily, then competitive sports will slap them in the face.
"4:6", "7:6(5)", "6:2".
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Djokovic saved match points again and again to advance, and Dolgopolov did have the most representative week of his career.
Lower half.
"Federer VS Lopez", after the Swiss king missed the Rogers Cup to readjust his form, he showed his outstanding dominance on the hard court and defeated Lopez without any bloodshed. The two players have met twelve times in their careers, and Federer remains undefeated.
"Murray VS Gasquet", the French genius continued his outstanding performance this season. Facing Murray who won the Rogers Cup last week, he won the first set. But in the end, Murray showed a better competitive state, firmly grasped the initiative, and won two sets in a row.
As a result, all attention was focused on the semi-finals.
From Toronto to Cincinnati, although the players in the semi-finals were different, the top four players in the world won three semi-final seats in two consecutive tournaments, which shows their dominance.
Of course, more importantly, the giants meet again.
"6:4", "7:6(6)".
Federer, with superior skills, successfully suppressed Murray, who was in hot form, and rushed towards victory with a smooth attack.
The final was abuzz with excitement. After the French Open final was repeated in Toronto, the Wimbledon final will also be repeated in Cincinnati.
Who can complain that this year's Cincinnati was not exciting enough? Despite some regrets, upsets and surprises, Cincinnati still pushed the heat of the entire North American summer hard court season to a new peak.
Final outcome——
Federer showed his top touch, opening the way with offense and winning two sets in one go, ending his three-game losing streak against Djokovic and clinching the championship with his strong performance of not losing a single set throughout the match.