After watching Roger Federer at his clinical best in disposing of Feliciano Lopez during their semi-final match-up and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga knock of the trio of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov in consecutive matches, the hope was we would see something special unfold during Sunday afternoon’s Rogers Cup Final.
Unfortunately that would not be the case but Tsonga capped off what was arguably the finest week of tennis he has played in some time, dropping the No. 2 seed in straight sets, 7-5 and 7-6(3), in earning his first title of the season. The loss dropped Federer’s record to 2-5 in finals this year and his career mark to 0-3 against the Frenchman when the two have gone head-to-head in Canada.
While the seventeen-time Grand Slam champ was in search of the 300th win of his career at the ATP Masters 1000 level, his game was nowhere near the same level he was able to produce against Lopez. Federer was erratic from start to finish, uncharacteristically spraying one unforced error after another and from both wings to boot. No matter what he tried, nothing seemed to work.
Luckily for him, Tsonga wasn’t clicking either as both men struggled mightily during much of the opening set. While it may have had something to do with the heat in Toronto or the fact Federer was playing his first non-evening match of the tournament, he was simply unable to find his rhythm. Not surprisingly, it would be the thirty-three old great who would blink first, as he completely fell apart during his final service game and handed the No.13 seed the break and in turn the set.
The overall quality of play did improve in set number two but Federer’s inability to make any sort of inroads on his opponent’s serve proved to be the difference. The unforced errors kept coming and in fact, the Swiss Maestro was unable to secure himself a single break opportunity in entire match. To his credit, Tsonga was nearly perfect when he managed to get his first serve in, winning an astonishing 33 of 35 points, but only served at 50% for the match.
The victory vaulted Jo-Wilfried back into the top ten, as he saw his ATP Ranking jump five spots to No. 10 in the world. As for Federer, it was tough end to what had otherwise been a very solid week, as he continues to prepare to take another run at Grand Slam No. 18 at the US Open in late August/early September. Despite losing in the final, Federer was able to strengthen his hold on the No. 3 spot in the rankings, as his point advantage grew from 300 to 820 over fellow countryman Stan Wawrinka.
Tsonga will have little opportunity to celebrate his victory, as he scheduled to play in the opening round of this week’s tour stop in Cincinnati against Russian Mikhail Youzhny. While on the other hand, Federer will have a chance to recoup and find his game, as he has the opening round bye that is granted to the top eight players in the field. The Western and Southern Open will be the last tune-up for players before their focus shifts to New York and the final major of the season.
