(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Roger Federer was a player to beat in Cincinnati between 2005 and 2015, winning seven titles! Alongside many impressive victories on the fast hard-court in Ohio, Roger embraced an incredible streak of 100 consecutive holds between 2014 and 2018!
It started in the 2014 final versus David Ferrer and continued until the 2018 title clash against Novak Djokovic
. The final against Ferrer was not a safe bet for the start of this streak, as Federer trailed 5-0 in the second set and offered his rival two set points.
The Swiss maestro repelled them, avoided a bagel and kicked off a fantastic streak that would stay alive for four years! Roger won the title and kept the same pace in the upcoming years, scoring five top-25 wins in straight sets without getting broken.
Between those duels against Ferrer and Djokovic, Federer took down nine rivals without losing serve, embracing 100 consecutive holds in Cincinnati before Novak ended it at 3-3 in the 2018 final’s opening set. As we all know, Cincinnati has one of the fastest hard courts in the world.
It’s perfectly tailored for Roger’s well-placed serves and sharp groundstrokes, allowing him to keep the points short and dominate those short rallies. After fending off those two set points at 0-5 versus David, Roger dropped three points in four service games in the decider to keep the pressure on the other side and win the title.
Federer introduced his famous SABR in 2015 and displayed even more impressive tennis in Cincinnati. Roger defeated Roberto Bautista Agut and Kevin Anderson before facing three break points in the quarter-final’s sixth game of the second set against Feliciano Lopez.
Federer stayed focused, repelling them and keeping his initial shot intact. The Swiss took down Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic without facing a break point to lift the trophy in style. Roger dropped only 11 points behind the initial shot against Novak in the final to claim his seventh and last Cincinnati title.
Federer skipped Cincinnati in 2016 and 2017, returning in 2018 and seeking his eighth trophy.
Roger Federer had 100 consecutive holds in Cincinnati between 2014 and 2018.
Peter Gojowczyk pushed Federer to three deuces in the first return game, and the Swiss survived them to extend his streak.
Leonardo Mayer and Stan Wawrinka could not challenge Roger in his games, with only four reaching 40-30 and no deuces! David Goffin reached one deuce on the return in the semi-final, and Roger wished for more in the title clash.
However, Novak Djokovic had other plans! Novak became the first player to defeat Roger in the Cincinnati final, lifting the elusive trophy and achieving the Career Golden Masters. Federer survived two break points in the first service game and delivered two more impressive holds to rattle off 100 consecutive service games in Cincinnati.
Djokovic finally broke him at 3-3 to end the streak and gain a boost ahead of the rest of the duel. Roger faced only 12 break points in those 100 holds against four rivals in five games. He repelled them and kept his initial shot intact to exert pressure on his opponents.
In the other 95 service games, Federer’s rivals failed to take a point in 34, and he held at 15 in another 34, making it 68 holds without losing more than one point! Eight out of 100 games went to deuce, and six came in 2018, four times against Peter Gojowczyk in the opening match.
In the nine completed matches during this span (including Goffin’s retirement in the 2018 semi-final), Roger won 83,1% of the points behind the first serve, or 257 out of 309. Also, he was 146-204 (71,5%) on the second serve, with no one capable of putting together four good returns to break him.
The streak could have been a bit longer. Still, Roger wasted two game points at 3-3 in the opening set against Novak. He hit a double fault and netted a forehand to lose serve in Cincinnati for the first time since the second set of the 2014 final against David Ferrer!
