Novak Djokovic has become the first player to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles with a straight-sets win over Roger Federer in the final of Cincinnati Open.

The Serbian needed one hour and 24 minutes to secure a 6-4 6-4 victory and finally claim the trophy in his sixth final in Ohio - losing three previous deciders to Federer.

Djokovic converted on three of six break points to end Federer's streak of seven wins from as many finals at the main lead-up tournament to the US Open. </s> Novak Djokovic beat Swiss world number two Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to win the Cincinnati title which was missing from his resume.

The championship was the only ATP Masters 1000 title the former number one had failed to win in his illustrious career and he finally broke the ice on his sixth try.

Federer, seven-time Cincinnati champion, lost for the first time in a final here and was also broken after holding serve at the event for 100 consecutive games.

In doing so, the Wimbledon champion completed the first Career Golden Masters, having won titles in all nine of the tournaments in the series that began in 1990. </s> REUTERS: Novak Djokovic finally got the title that had been missing from his resume as the Serb defeated Swiss world number two Roger Federer, his greatest rival, 6-4 6-4 to win the Cincinnati Masters on Sunday.

The championship was the only ATP Masters 1000 title the former number one had failed to win in his illustrious career and he finally broke the ice on his sixth try.

In doing so, the Wimbledon champion completed the first Career Golden Masters, having won titles in all nine of the tournaments in the series that began in 1990. </s> Tennis: Roger Federer is set to play twice today after a deluge of rain last night pushed back scheduling at the Cincinnati Masters.

THE Cincinnati Masters men’s final will be a blast from the past with Roger Federer set to take on Novak Djokovic for the title.

Federer cruised into the final after 11th seed David Goffin retired in the second set with the score at 7-6 (7-3) 1-1.

The Swiss master claimed the first set tie-breaker and the match was continuing on serve before Goffin pulled the plug due to a shoulder injury.

Federer said it was great to come up against Djokovic in the final.

The pair haven’t played in two years due to injury but have shared 17 previous tournament together with Djokovic holding an 11-6 edge.

“It’s great to be back in the finals, against Novak in particular,” Federer said.

“There’s a lot riding on the match. It’s great to refresh a rivalry we’ve had for many years.”

Federer holds an insane record at the Cincinnati Masters, having claimed seven titles and never lost a final.

Only Rafael Nadal has a better record in finals at any one tournament after tallying an 11-0 record in both the French Open and Barcelona finals.

He also continued several records at the event including 96 consecutive service games and 14 straight match wins.

Djokovic will have a mountain to climb to win his first Cincinnati final with his 0-5 record.

Cincinnati is the only ATP Masters 1000 title the Serbian superstar has yet to claim.

If he can win, he will be the first player to win all nine of the events since the series started in 1990.

Earlier, Djokovic defeated Marin Cilic 6-4 3-6 6-3 to move into the final.

The match will be the 18th title match of their careers with Djokovic holding an 23-22 lead in the overall head-to-head.

Despite the edge, Djokovic knows Federer will be the favourite.

“It would be the greatest challenge in Cincinnati, without a doubt, because he’s been dominating this tournament historically,” Djokovic said.

On the women’s side, world number one Simona Halep will play for the title a second year in a row against Dutch world 19 Kiki Bertens.

Halep has lost the title twice previously.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for me to play another final and win it,” she said.

The US Open is the next major on the calendar and will start on August 27. </s> Novak Djokovic is through to the Cincinnati Masters semi-finals

Djokovic has won eight of the nine ATP 1000 events and needs to add the Cincinnati Masters title to complete the set.

The Serbian is well on track to achieving that accomplishment as he is in semi-final action against Marin Cilic this evening.

Djokovic has won 13 Grand Slam titles in his career - four less than Nadal and seven fewer than Federer.

But he does hold other achievements which could allow him to be held in the same esteem as the current top two players in the world. </s> MASON – Come Sunday, Novak Djokovic won't just be chasing his first-ever Western & Southern Open title.

Djokovic will also be aiming for a distinction even tennis greats like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal haven't claimed.

It's an accomplishment the ATP World Tour has coined a phrase for – "Career Golden Masters" – and a win in Sunday's finale at the Lindner Family Tennis Center would make him the first player to earn that distinction.

The world-ranked No. 10 Djokovic once again earned passage to the Western & Southern Open's championship match Saturday via a semifinal win against No. 7-seed Marin Cilic (6-4, 3-6, 6-3).

A victory in Sunday's final would make Djokovic the first player to sweep all nine ATP Masters 1000 events, of which the Western & Southern Open is one, and that's the missing puzzle piece from Djokovic's Career Golden Masters accomplishment.

Sweeping the Masters 1000 events, along with sweeping tennis' traditional Grand Slam events and winning Olympic Gold is what earns a player Career Golden Masters designation.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the empty spot in his trophy case reserved for the Western & Southern Open's winner's trophy is that he's had five previous cracks at it.

"I mean, it's finals for me," Djokovic said. "The sixth time that I'll try to win the title, and obviously this time, you know, I'm hoping that I can get my hands on the trophy. I will give my best. Obviously, history is also on the line, and I'm aware of that and that motivates me even more."

Sunday will mark his sixth attempt at the Cincinnati title, and his second attempt at the Career Golden Masters in the

If there's a time to win a new title, now seems to be the opportune moment for Djokovic, who enters Sunday's final on a 10-match winning streak at the suburban Cincinnati tennis complex.

This year, he advanced past Steve Johnson, Adrian Mannarino, Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic and Cilic to reach his sixth career finals appearance in Greater Cincinnati.

Djokovic on Sunday will play the winner of the corresponding men's singles semifinal between world-ranked No. 2 Roger Federer and No. 11 David Goffin.

Djokovic's second chance at the Career Golden Masters

 Djokovic had a chance to wrap up his sweep of the Masters events and claim his gilded crown back in 2015. He lost that final to Federer, who took the trophy for the seventh time in his career.

It was yet another moment in the all-time series and coexistence between the players that Djokovic was overshadowed by Federer, now a 20-time major champion.

Asked in 2015 about what sweeping the Masters 1000 event would mean to him, Djokovic said: "Well, match is a match in the end of the day. Of course somewhere in back of your mind you do have that awareness of what's at stake, but generally, it's a match like any other.

"Final against either Roger or Andy is I think the best and the biggest challenge and the best final I can get in this moment. I played Andy less than a week ago in the finals in Canada; now I'm going to have an equally tough challenge to win tomorrow's title.

 As I said, I know what I need to do. Hopefully, I'll be able to lift up a notch my game at least for few levels higher so I can be in a good position to win it."

Asked about a possible rematch with Federer, Djokovic said he hoped

"Obviously, if we got a chance to play, we will play each other after a long time. We haven't played each other for quite some time, which is unusual, because I'm used to playing Roger, over the course of almost 10 years, I have played him so many times," Djokovic said. "Played him the most after the rivalry with Nadal. "He has influenced greatly -- the rivalry with him and him personally has influenced the evolution of my game. So, I mean, it would be the greatest challenge in Cincinnati, without a doubt, and many tournaments, especially here, because he's been dominating this tournament historically. He won against me several times in finals.



 "You know, obviously, he feels great in these conditions and this surface. But, you know, obviously he has to win his semifinals, and we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Possible matchups

 Local tennis fans are craving a Djokovic-Federer final, and that could very well come to fruition.

If it does happen, it would be something of a toss-up. Djokovic leads the all-time series between the players, 23-22.

The two tennis greats haven't played in more than two years, the last meeting in the Australian Open semifinals.

Djokovic has won the last two matches against Federer and six of the last eight meetings.

If Goffin advances to Sunday's final, Djokovic would likely be a decisive favorite as he leads that all-time series, 5-1.

Goffin and Djokovic last met in 2017 at Monte-Carlo. Goffin won the match in three sets.

"I think Goffin, I think he actually won against Roger the last time they played in London Masters World Tour Finals," Djokovic said. "I mean, he's very quick. He's one of the best movers in the game, very quick footwork. You know, beautiful backhand down the line, cross, he can hit it. It's just a great anticipation.

"He struggled also a little bit with injuries and consistency, dropped the ranking, but with his game, he deserves to be in the top 10 of the world. This week he's won against some great players, he's showing, in straight sets against De Potro and Anderson yesterday, which is quite impressive. You know, he can definitely surprise Roger. Roger is obviously the favorite, but he has the game to win against him and he has proven that in the past.



 "I think I have played against Goffin couple years ago here in semifinals. I mean, I have practiced with him a lot. I know his game. He's a good guy. As I said, very quick." </s> MASON, OHIO—Novak Djokovic gave his racket to a fan and tossed his sweatbands into the stands. No need for mementos from this victory. The long-awaited Rookwood pottery trophy would be plenty.

Djokovic finally mastered the one tournament that’s eluded him, beating nemesis Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday for his first Western & Southern Open championship.

(Matthew Stockman / GETTY IMAGES)

He got the better of a nostalgic rematch — they hadn’t played in two years because of injuries — and broke through in a tournament that Federer has won seven times, never losing a title match.

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“Thank you for letting me win once in Cincinnati,” he told Federer as they stood on court for the trophy presentation.

After reaching the final five times and losing every time — three to Federer — Djokovic jumped and punched the air in celebration of his breakthrough. He’s the first to claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 events since the series started in 1990, something that had become his quest after so many close calls.

“That’s what the headline should be about — this is such an amazing accomplishment,” Federer said. “He’s the first to do it. I think it’s very difficult to win Masters 1000s. These performances don’t come easy.”

Djokovic leads their all-time series 24-22, doing better in the biggest matches. He’s 3-1 against Federer in Grand Slam finals and 12-6 overall in championship matches, including wins at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2015.

Djokovic completed a long comeback from elbow problems by winning his fourth Wimbledon title last month, then set out to get his hard-court game in order for the U.S. Open. He got better as the rainy week went on in Cincinnati, playing his best at the end.

“This seems to be a bit unreal, to be honest, to be back at this level,” he said.

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Federer’s serve had been untouchable all week — held for 46 consecutive games. Djokovic broke that streak to go up 4-3 in the opening set, prompting Federer to mutter angrily. Djokovic served out the set, and then traded breaks with Federer early in the second set.

Federer’s game was off — 28 unforced errors — and Djokovic took full advantage. He broke him again to go up 4-3 and served it out.

In the women’s bracket, top-ranked Simona Halep let a match point slip away during the second-set tiebreaker, and Kiki Bertens rallied for a 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2 victory in her first hard-court final.

Bertens served a 109 m.p.h. ace , flipped her racket away, fell to her knees and raised both arms. Moments later, she covered her face for a joyous cry, wiping the tears away with her sweat-soaked blue wristband.

One point away from another loss, she had pulled off her biggest win, one that left her as stunned as everyone else.

“I cannot find words for this moment,” she said.

The Dutch clay-court specialist ended Halep’s streak of nine straight wins, including the title at Montreal a week earlier. She’d never beaten a top-ranked player, but wore down Halep at the end of her two draining weeks.

During the week in Cincinnati, Halep had one match suspended overnight by rain and wound up playing twice in one day to reach the semifinals. She controlled the first set on Sunday and had a chance to close it out, leading 6-5 in the tiebreaker.

When that slipped away, she never recovered, playing her worst in the final set — 13 unforced errors that gave Bertens a chance to pull away.

“I had a match (point), so I was there,” Halep said. “I didn’t take my chance. In the third set , I was empty and I couldn’t fight anymore.”

Halep will be ranked No. 1 through the U.S. Open. She fell to 0-3 in Cincinnati finals, finishing as the runner-up in 2015 and each of the last two years.

“I need a little bit of rest because I’m exhausted,” Halep said. “But I also take the positive from these two weeks. It’s a great confidence (boost).”

Bertens has worked on her hard-court game and her confidence on the surface. In three previous appearances in Cincinnati, she won a total of one match. She became the first unseeded player to win in Cincinnati since Vera Zvonareva in 2006. </s> Novak Djokovic finally won the tournament that had been eluding him, beating Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday for his first Cincinnati Masters title. The Serbian got the better of the players’ first meeting in nearly two years, and triumphed in a tournament that Federer has won seven times, never losing a final.

After Federer’s forehand sailed wide for the deciding point, Djokovic raised both arms and roared. Then he jumped and punched the air before giving his racket to a fan and tossing his sweatbands into the stands.

Djokovic is the first to claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 events since the series started in 1990. It had become his personal quest after he lost in Cincinnati finals on three previous occasions against Federer.

Djokovic leads the pair’s all-time series 24-22, dominating the biggest matches. He is 3-1 against Federer in grand slam finals and 12-6 overall in championship matches, including wins at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015.

Djokovic completed a long comeback from elbow surgery by winning his fourth Wimbledon title last month, then set out to get his hard-court game in order for the US Open. He got better as the rainy week went on in Cincinnati, playing his best tennis at the end.

Federer’s serve had been untouchable all week, and he had held for 46 consecutive games. Djokovic broke that streak to go 4-3 up in the opening set, prompting Federer to mutter angrily. Djokovic served out the set, and then traded breaks with Federer early in the second set. Federer’s game was off, and he committed 39 unforced errors as Djokovic took full advantage. He broke him again in the second set to go up 4-3 and served it out.

In the women’s final, top-ranked Simona Halep let a match point slip away during the second-set tiebreaker, and Kiki Bertens rallied for a 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory in her first hard-court final.

One point away from another loss, she had pulled off her biggest win, one that left her as stunned as everyone else. “I cannot find words for this moment,” she said.

The Dutch clay-court specialist ended Halep’s streak of nine straight wins, including the title at Montreal a week earlier. She’d never beaten a top-ranked player, but wore down Halep at the end of her two draining weeks.

During the week in Cincinnati, Halep had one match suspended overnight by rain and wound up playing twice in one day to reach the semi-finals. She controlled the first set on Sunday and had a chance to close it out, leading 6-5 in the tiebreaker.

When that slipped away, she could not recover, with 13 unforced errors in the final set to give Bertens a chance to pull away. “I had a match [point], so I was there,” Halep said. “I didn’t take my chance. In the third set , I was empty and I couldn’t fight anymore.”

Bertens has worked on her hard-court game and her confidence on the surface. In three previous appearances in Cincinnati, she won a total of one match. She became the first unseeded player to win in Cincinnati since Vera Zvonareva in 2006. </s> Novak Djokovic destroys Kevin Anderson to set up meeting with Alexander Zverev at ATP Finals

In-form Novak Djokovic produced a spellbinding performance to destroy Kevin Anderson and set up a meeting with Alexander Zverev in Sunday's showpiece at the ATP Finals.

Djokovic extended his winning run over the South African to eight matches, including the Wimbledon final earlier this year, with a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 victory on Saturday night.

Djokovic will now take on German Zverev, who has three Masters series titles under his belt in his short career, and is the youngest finalist at the event since Juan Martin del Potro in 2009, after he shocked Federer in the earlier match.

Djokovic, who has not dropped a single set in his four matches in London, has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in the second half of the season after elbow surgery and indifferent form earlier in the year.

He has lost just two matches since the start of July, winning Wimbledon, the US Open, and Masters 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Shanghai along the way and emerging once more as the man to beat as he attempts to pull level with Roger Federer on six ATP Finals titles.

The 31-year-old Serb made his intentions clear from the opening game with a break and he continued to make life difficult for Anderson by squeezing the court and forcing a 17th error from the South African's racket for a 5-2 lead.

He served out the set in 39 minutes, with an air of inevitability building around a capacity O2 Arena.

Anderson, who became the first African player to reach the semi-finals in the tournament's history, cut a disconsolate figure when hot favourite for the year-end title Djokovic tightened his grip with an immediate break at the start of the second set.

He secured the double-break for a comfortable 4-1 lead with a crushing forehand and it was all over two games later, closing it out in 75 minutes, as he sealed his spot in Sunday's finale.

"Stunning again! His ability to get behind the ball and change direction," Sky Sports' Barry Cowan applauds Djokovic's winner.

Novak's best of this week

"I think it was the best match I have played so far this week. It came at the right time. Kevin was playing some really good tennis this week. He lost the serve in the first game and that obviously makes a big difference," said Djokovic.

"He relies a lot on his serve. His first serve percentage was quite low. It wasn't working and the crucial stat is trying to win as many points as possible on his second serve. I was trying to constantly put pressure on his service games and use my serve accurately. It worked really well."

Djokovic leads the meetings with Zverev 2-1 having beaten the 21-year-old German 6-4 6-1 earlier in the week in their round-robin group match. The Serb also defeated Zverev 6-2 6-1 in Shanghai this year, but lost to the young pretender 6-4 6-3 in the Rome Masters final in 2017.

We have every major tennis event covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.

We will have extensive coverage of the ATP Finals at London's O2 with Sunday's final live on Sky Sports Arena & Sky Sports Mix (which is for all sky customers at no extra cost!) from 3.30pm. </s> (Reuters) - Factbox on Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who beat Switzerland’s Roger Federer 7-6(5) 1-6 7-6(4) 4-6 13-12(3) to win his 16th Grand Slam title on Sunday:

** His father was a professional skier and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps or play professional soccer but changed his mind when Djokovic excelled at tennis from an early age.

** First full year on tour in 2005. Made Grand Slam debut as a qualifier at the Australian Open, losing to Russian Marat Safin in the first round. Finished as the youngest player (18 years, five months) inside the top 100.

** In 2006, he won his first ATP tour title at Amersfoort.

** Retired in the 2006 French Open quarter-finals against Nadal when trailing by two sets, and again a year later due to blisters in the Wimbledon semi-final against the same opponent.

** Won five titles in 2007 (Adelaide, Miami, Estoril, Montreal and Vienna) and reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, losing to Roger Federer.

** Beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open — becoming the first Serbian man to win one of the four majors.

** Failed to defend his title in Melbourne the following year after pulling out of his quarter-final against American Andy Roddick citing heat exhaustion.

** Led Serbia to their first Davis Cup title with victory over France in Belgrade in December 2010.

** Began 2011 by winning the Australian Open, beating Briton Andy Murray in the final, to end his three-year wait for a second Grand Slam title.

** Won his next six tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome. Did not lose again until June 3 when Federer ended his 41-match winning streak in the French Open semi-finals.

** Secured the number one spot on July 4, 2011 by beating Tsonga in the Wimbledon semi-finals, then beat Nadal to clinch his first Wimbledon crown, his first title on grass.

** Saved two match points to beat Federer in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open then defeated Nadal in the final to become the seventh man to win three Grand Slam titles in a year since tennis turned professional in 1968.

** Won his third Australian Open title in 2012 by beating Nadal in five hours and 53 minutes.

** Began 2013 by beating Murray to become the first man in the professional era to win three successive Australian Open titles.

** Reached all four Grand Slam finals in 2015. Began the year by capturing a fifth Australian Open title, then missed out on the French Open again — his third loss in the title match —after falling to Stan Wawrinka in the final.

** Five weeks later drew level with his coach Boris Becker’s Wimbledon haul of three titles by defeating Federer in the All England Club final. Beat Federer in U.S. Open final, giving him three Grand Slam titles in a year for a second time.

** Beat Murray in the 2016 Australian Open final to win his 11th Grand Slam trophy.

** Beat Murray again in the French Open final that year to finally win the claycourt major at his 12th attempt. The win not only completed his Grand Slam collection but he also became only the third man — after Don Budge and Rod Laver — to hold all four majors at the same time.

** Advanced to his 21st Grand Slam final overall at the 2016 U.S. Open but was beaten by Stan Wawrinka.

** Retired in the 2017 Wimbledon quarter-finals against Tomas Berdych and ended his season on July 26 with a right elbow injury.

** Returned from a six-month injury absence at the Australian Open last year. Had elbow surgery following a last-16 exit to South Korean youngster Chung Hyeon.

** Beat Kevin Anderson in the 2018 Wimbledon final to seal his 13th Grand Slam.

** Capped off the year in style by beating Juan Martin del Potro to win the U.S. Open crown for a third time.

** Defeated Nadal in their 53rd career meeting to claim his 15th major and seventh Australian Open title.

** Djokovic’s 26-match winning streak in Grand Slams ended with a loss to Dominic Thiem in the French Open semi-final.

** Defeated Federer to claim his fifth Wimbledon title.
Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in Cincinnati, becoming the first player to win singles titles in all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in his career.