While the quality of tennis at the 2014 Rogers Cup hasn’t exactly been top notch, fans who attend Sunday’s Final between Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could be in for a real treat. With the twenty-nine year old Frenchman coming off back-to-back-to-back victories over top ten opponents and the seventeen-time Grand Slam Champion continuing to enjoy what has truly been a bounce back season of sorts, this matchup has all the makings of turning into something special.
Unlike the vast majority of the field at this week’s stop on the ATP tour, Tsonga has been rock solid from start to finish and managed to send home the trio of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov over his last three matches. As impressive as the fan favourite looked in dismissing the No.1 player in the world during their quarterfinal match, his dismantling of the young Bulgarian on Saturday afternoon was even better.
Tsonga has had a year to forget for much of 2014 and it has ultimately cost him his usual spot inside the top ten. While he is seeded thirteenth in Toronto, the big man currently sits fifteenth in the ATP World Rankings after entering the season at No. 15. With the opportunity of earning a spot in the final of a tournament for just the second time this year, he had next to no trouble in taking care of Dimitrov in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-3.
As good as Jo-Wilfried looked, Federer was in complete control during his semi-final with Feliciano Lopez, losing just seven games to the talented Spaniard 6-3 and 6-4. While he was pushed in earlier rounds by Marin Cilic and David Ferrer the “old man’ did what he had to do to get into Sunday’s championship. At this stage of the game, Roger may not be as consistent as he was in his prime but he still has more than enough in the tank to push the top players in the world on a regular basis...with this year’s incredible five set classic at the All England Club against Djokovic being the most recent of examples.
Having just celebrated his thirty-third birthday with a three set victory over Ferrer on Friday evening, Mr. Federer will be looking to not only become a three-time winner of the event but also pick up a mind-numbing 300th career win at the Masters 1000 level to boot. There is no question he will be the favourite heading into Sunday’s final, especially considering he holds an 11-4 advantage in head-to-head meetings, but it is Tsonga who is a perfect 2-0 on Canadian soil against the Swiss Maestro and Federer has gone winless in the Great White North since lifting the trophy back in 2006.
With that said, both these players would love nothing more than to put this title in their back pocket heading into the final Grand Slam of the year. With so much on the line, one would hope we will be treated to some quality tennis in the finale in what has otherwise been a rather disappointing and somewhat uneventful Roger Cup.
