Almighty Federer Strikes Again

I admit I was worried for Federer after he failed to achieve his biggest dream, losing the Olympic final to Andy Murray, so I was really curious to see if he could recover in time for his North American hardcourt debut. Any signs of worries quickly vanished after Roger cruised through the Cincinnati draw to reach the final without dropping a set. The competition may not have been the toughest, but Bernard Tomic, Mardy Fish or an inspired Stanislav Wawrinka can all pose a threat, but Federer's brilliance showed once again as he dismissed them all in straight sets.

With only a slim margin separating him from Djokovic at the top of the rankings, the Swiss had to reach the final to be guaranteed he retains his position going into the US Open. He did just that and in clinical fashion too, setting up a final showdown with the Serb to battle it out for the title. The match started rather surprisingly with Federer playing sublime tennis to record his first bagel against Novak in 28 meeting. Although Djokovic fought back in the second set, he could come nowhere near his opponent's serve. He did manage to hold his own serve though pushing the act into a tiebreak. However, it was Federer who came out on top clinching thus his fifth crown at this event. He also tied Nadal's 21 Masters 1000 titles record.
This success marks yet another achievement in what has been a sensational 2012 season for Roger. His astonishing Wimbledon run seems to have freed the Swiss who is now able to play his best tennis once again. In this kind of form, he establishes himself as the main favourite going into the US Open. And with Rafael Nadal out with a severe tendinitis to his knees, Roger's chances increase even more.

Roger Federer showed just why he is the best player in the world at the moment, rooting his closest rival, Novak Djokovic, 6-0,7-6 to clinch his first Cincinnati crown and tie Nadal's Masters 1000 mark with 21 titles.

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