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| October 23, 2006 | Monday | Ramazan 29, 1427 |
Federer powers to 10th title of year
MADRID, Oct 22: World No 1 Roger Federer racked up his 10th title of the season with a ruthless 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 win over Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in the final of the two-million-euro Madrid Masters on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Swiss weathered an early storm from the 10th seed but found his rhythm in the second set and then powered his way to victory as Gonzalez folded under the pressure.
It was Federer's fourth Masters title of the year and the 12th of his career, taking him one clear of Pete Sampras into second place behind Andre Agassi who heads the all-time list with 17.
The victory, Federer's first in Madrid, extended his winning streak to 19 matches and took his tally of victories for the year to 82. He is the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1982 to win 80 matches two years in a row.
The Swiss had won all seven of his previous encounters with Gonzalez but he looked a little rusty at the start of the opening set and made some uncharacteristic unforced errors.
Gonzalez, in his first Masters final, still appeared to be on a high after his emphatic victory over Tomas Berdych on Saturday as he put Federer under pressure with some pounding forehands but it was not enough to break the Federer serve.
Federer, who had crushed fourth seed David Nalbandian in his semi-final, then began his customary push at the business end of the set, breaking at 6-5 up to take the opener.
Having drawn the sting from Gonzalez, Federer stepped up another gear in the second set, breaking in the fourth game to go 3-1 up.
The Swiss hit the lines and gave the Chilean no chance as he rattled through the next three games to take the set in just 26 minutes.
He picked up where he had left off at the start of the third, breaking in the first and third games to turn the screw on the Chilean.
Federer raced to a 5-0 lead and although Gonzalez mounted a brief rearguard action in the final game the Chilean could do nothing to prevent a whitewash in the final set.
SHARAPOVA TRIUMPHS
ZURICH: US Open champion Maria Sharapova claimed her fourth title of the year on Sunday by beating unseeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in the final of the Zurich Open.It was Sharapova's first title in Zurich, after she finished as runner-up to Alicia Molik in 2004.
Despite her defeat, Hantuchova's ranking will improve next week from 22 to an expected 16.
Sharapova was far more aggressive than Hantuchova in the opening set, especially with her returns, and she pressured the Slovak from the start.
Hantuchova had to hold off three break points in the first game and then dropped her serve to love, hitting consecutive double-faults, to fall behind 2-1.
Sharapova continued to dominate, breaking Hantuchova to love a second time while winning 15 of 16 points to establish a 4-1 lead. The Russian broke for a third time to take the set when Hantuchova netted a forehand.
After calling her mother to court as her coach, allowed under rules being tried out in Zurich, Hantuchova was far more positive in the second set, breaking Sharapova for 1-0.
Sharapova's efforts were more muted in the second set. She made considerably more unforced errors and failed to win a break point to level at 4-4 when she netted a tired forehand.
Hantuchova fought off five break points at 5-4 to take the match to a deciding set.
Sharapova once more showed some of the aggression that had served her well in the first set and although she failed to take advantage of two break points at 1-0 she broke to lead 3-1 when Hantuchova netted a forehand. That was enough to decide the match, which Sharapova closed out with consecutive aces.—Reuters
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