Federer wins 50th career crown
Top-ranked Roger Federer reached another measure of tennis greatness yesterday, winning his 50th tournament title by beating James Blake, 6-1, 6-4, in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Mason, Ohio.
Top-ranked
Roger Federer
reached another measure of tennis greatness yesterday, winning his 50th tournament title by beating
James Blake
, 6-1, 6-4, in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Mason, Ohio.
The 26-year-old Swiss star became the fifth-youngest player in history to reach 50, and only the ninth overall in the Open Era - since 1968 - to win so many tournaments.
Given the way he's playing, he's eyeing the U.S. Open as No. 51.
Federer almost got the noteworthy win a week earlier in Montreal, where he lost the title match to Novak Djokovic in a third-set tiebreaker. This time, he set the tone right away against the eighth-ranked Blake, who was playing in only his second Masters championship match.
Federer improved to 7-0 against Blake, who has won only one of their 19 sets - off a tiebreaker in the semifinals at the U.S. Open last year. Federer has won 35 straight matches against Americans since he lost to Andy Roddick at Montreal on Aug. 9, 2003.
After his ninth ace ended the match, Federer raised both arms in celebration of the title and, in his words, "a very special number."
Bjorn Borg won his 50th title when he was 23 years, 7 months old. Jimmy Connors was 4 months older when he got to the mark, and John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl were 25.
In another tournament:
* Top-ranked Justine Henin defeated Jelena Jankovic, 7-6 (3), 7-5, to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
Sport Stops
* Alabama star cornerback Simeon Castille was arrested early yesterday on a disorderly conduct charge. Tuscaloosa police said Castille was arrested in an entertainment district near campus, but police declined to release details of the incident.
* Student Council stunned defending champion Lava Man to win the $1 million Pacific Classic by a half-length at Del Mar, Calif. Lava Man finished sixth.
* Sebastien Loeb won the Germany Rally for the sixth straight year. The 33-year-old Frenchman who finished the 762-mile race in 3 hours, 27 minutes, 27.5 seconds.
* Indonesia's Chris John defeated Japan's Zaiki Takemoto on a technical knockout to retain his WBA featherweight title in Kobe, Japan.
* China won the men's and women's singles at the World Badminton Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Top-ranked Lin Dan defeated Sony Dwi Cuncoro, of Indonesia, 21-11, 22-20, to win his third consecutive men's singles title. Zhu Lin took the women's crown in her debut at the meet, beating Wang Chen, of Hong Kong, 21-18, 21-12. *