Tennis News

​It is No.1 vs. No.2 as Serena Williams and Simona Halep will battle it out in the Western & Southern Open final in Cincinnati on Sunday.

Defending champion Serena Williams could become the first player to win the Cincinnati title twice, if she manages to hold off Simona Halep in the final on Sunday. No player since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2004 has wielded to achieve the feat.

Williams dropped just the single set last year on her way to brushing aside Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1 in the final. But she noticeably hasn’t been her dominant self throughout the US Open Series this season, punctuated by her shock loss against WTA Rising Star Belinda Bencic in Toronto last week. Poor serving has also landed Williams in trouble in Cincinnati this week, but the World No. 1 has nevertheless managed to reach the final for the third year in a row, having only dropped the single set (in a rematch against Ivanovic in the quarterfinals).

In her semi-final meeting with Elina Svitolina, it was the World No. 20 who came out with all of the impulse and momentum. But the defending champion retrieved her calmness to win the next eleven out of 15 games to secure her place in the final.

But there is still one more vault that Williams needs to overcome: Simona Halep. After a brief slouch in form, which saw her left with no wins at Wimbledon, Halep has rebounded back in recent weeks. She defeated consecutive top 25 opponents Jelena Jankovic, Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska and Sara Errani on her way to the Toronto final last week. She retired due to illness in the final against Belinda Bencic, but Halep has sprung back, despite the quick turnaround, to reach her second WTA final in as many weeks.

In doing so, Halep has also managed to recover the No. 2 ranking from Maria Sharapova, which could therefore have major significances for both herself and Sharapova’s US Open campaigns. With the Grand Slam seedings to be announced next week, Halep can effectively avoid a clash with Williams until potentially in the final, while Sharapova is not warranted the same safety. If the former US Open champion is drawn in Williams’ top half of the draw, she could be on track to face her nemesis earlier than preferred. Williams holds the dominant 17-0 winning streak against Sharapova.

Halep defeated Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, Andrea Petkovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 (3), 6-2 and Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-2 to reach the final for the first time. But she only ever defeated Williams once (at the WTA Finals in Singapore last year) in six meetings, and it was the World No. 1 who was successful when they met earlier this year in Miami (she did get a walkover from Williams at Indian Wells).

But can Williams be able to turn around her disastrous serving percentage to win her fifth title of the season ahead of the US Open?

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are set to collide for the fifth time this season in the Cincinnati Masters 2015 final on Sunday and the stakes are as high as ever. Novak Djokovic is chasing history, while Roger Federer is more concerned with boosting his chances for the next few weeks, but there is more than enough on the line for both players to make this Cincinnati Masters final a must-watch on Sunday. Check out the Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic Head to Head matches.

Djokovic is bidding to make history at the Western & Southern Open as a victory against Federer would see him become the first man to have won all nine Masters Series events in his career & complete the “Career Golden Masters”.

What is at stake for world no. 1 Novak Djokovic? In terms of this season, Djokovic certainly doesn’t need the Cincinnati Masters title to boost his confidence or give him momentum coming into the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, which begins on Monday 31 August: He’s won almost all of the significant events of the season so far, including Grand Slams at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and Masters Series titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome. But Djokovic could capture a quite incredible record if he betters his four previous runner-up finishes in Cincinnati: A title on Sunday will see him become the first man in history to win all nine Masters Series events over the course of his career. Following so close behind Federer and Rafael Nadal, there are few major records which Djokovic can break, but this would set an absurdly high and historical mark.

Meanwhile, defending champion Federer will be bidding to regain his World No. 2 ranking from Andy Murray (who had ousted Roger from the No.2 spot after his win in Montreal) and effectively secure the No. 2 seeding for the US Open. If he is successful, it would therefore mean he can avoid playing Djokovic until potentially in the Grand Slam final. Securing the No. 2 seeding at the US Open would be a huge boost for Federer, as the 34-year-old is still chasing his elusive 18th major title. Djokovic has ended his Grand Slam run on seven occasions across their career, most recently in the Wimbledon final for the past two years in a row. If Federer won, the title would merely be his seventh at the Cincinnati Masters, where the courts favor attacking tennis and where he has a ridiculously good record (41-8; 6 titles).

Federer has typically been more successful than Djokovic, in fact anyone for that matter, at the Cincinnati Masters in the past. He has won the title a record six times, and he has also reached the quarterfinals or better on a further two occasions. Moreover, Federer has never lost in the Cincinnati final, which gives him a 100 per cent winning rate when it comes down to the final two at the Masters event. On the contrary, Djokovic has never managed to win the Cincinnati title, despite having reached the final on four occasions. Additionally, the World No. 1 has never actually won a set in the final. Two of those losses have come against Federer as well, in 2009: 1-6, 5-7 and again in 2012: 0-6, 6-7 (7).

The head-to-head record is tied at 20-20 between the pair and their meetings on the hard surface are also tied at 1-1 this season. Sunday’s final represents the best opportunity Federer has had to beat Djokovic all season long. Will he take it? With their head-to-head evenly poised, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer face off in the final of the Cincinnati Masters on Sunday. Could fitness concerns for Djokovic see him denied the historic ‘Masters Slam’ by Federer?

Djokovic is not playing at the same level he was at Wimbledon or Indian Wells when he beat Federer in the final, whereas Federer is playing as close to perfect as perhaps possible. And Djokovic has been far from perfect this week. Add to the fact that he had a much longer and more physical semifinal the week after reaching the final in Montreal, Federer has a considerable physical advantage. It will still be close, but most of the advantages are in Federer’s favour. Federer won in Dubai, which is a surface more similar to Cincinnati. He also won Shanghai against Djokovic, which is also a surface closer to Cincinnati’s. Remember that Federer has beaten Djokovic twice in Cincinnati and has never lost more than six games to the Serb on this court. This is a speedy hard courts on which Federer’s game is more effective.

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Andy Murray and Roger Federer will confront each other for the 25th time on Saturday in the Semifinals of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. A victory will assure Murray of the 2nd seed at the US Open, while Federer needs to win the tournament to pass the Scot in the ATP Rankings ahead of the last Major of the year. Novak could possibly be waiting in the finals as he attempts to become the 1st man to win the “Career Golden Masters” (win all the 9 Masters events).

Federer leads the head-to-head 13-11 and has won all the last 4 matches against Murray, his last defeat coming at the 2013 Australian Open. In the last 4 matches, Roger has absolutely dominated the Scot dropping just 1 set in the process. This includes the 6-0, 6-1 drubbing at the 2014 World Tour Finals in London (round robin stage). Murray, however, is ahead in the head-to-head on outdoor hard court 8-7 (Federer leads 11-10 on hard including the indoor events). Federer also leads 2-1 in Cincy against the British No.1. Roger is tracking the 7th Final of his career in Cincinnati, where he has already claimed 6 titles, while Andy is in quest for his 3rd, with 2 titles already under his belt. Federer has never lost a SF in Cincy whereas Murray is 2-1 in Cincy SF (the loss was against Roger in 2009).

As Andy Murray eventually ended his two year wait and 8-match losing streak against Novak Djokovic in Montreal on Sunday, the Brit also woke up superseding Roger Federer as the new World No. 2 just a couple of weeks before the start of the US Open. Roger Federer had held a solid hold on the second spot since last October but because of the swap, the all-time Grand Slam champion’s already-tough road to the U.S. Open got even tougher. It may only have a peripheral effect on the year’s final Slam, but could have big ramifications if the draw plays out in a specific way.

The Swiss No.1 had decided to skip the Rogers Cup in Canada last week to see to it that he is in the best potential shape for Flushing Meadows but being overhauled by Murray could have severe entailments on his likely path to the title.

American Legend Pete Sampras believes Federer has a chance of winning the US Open but says if he has to play Murray, Djokovic and Nadal back-to-back it becomes more difficult for him and this could now be the path he has to take after dropping out of the world’s top two. If he had sustained his ranking going into the final major, Federer would have by all odds avoided facing the World No.1 Nole until the final, but now he has a 50% chance of facing Djokovic in the semi-finals depending on which side of the draw the number three seed is placed. This opens up the chance of a rematch of their famous 2010 and 2011 semi-finals on Arthur Ashe Stadium which saw Djokovic save two match-points in consecutive years to beat Federer in five epic sets.

Federer still leads their head-to-head in New York 3-2 but at 34-years of age, it will now undoubtedly be harder for him to back up huge victories against the top players again just two days later. This was the case at Wimbledon, where he played incredibly well to knock out Murray in straight-sets, but despite still playing at a very high standard he was outlasted by the stubborn and undisputed Djokovic in the final.

This is not to suggest it is all doom and gloom for Federer, the implications could be wholly positive as he will certainly be rested and refreshed given the prolonged break following Wimbledon. The attention and expectation are also off the 17-time Grand Slam champion as many saw this year’s final at SW19 as his last realistic shot at title number 18 and with Murray putting a psychological marker down to Djokovic in Montreal, much of the focus heading into the US Open will be of a potential final between the pair. This will perhaps allow Federer to slide under the radar as he goes in search of his sixth title in New York.

Also being ignored as a contender for the title is Rafael Nadal, who is back in the top eight of the world rankings. This is obviously hugely important to the draw at Flushing Meadows as Nadal will not have to worry about a potential fourth round clash with a top eight player if he remains in this position, but it remains to be seen if he can rediscover any kind of form to go deep in New York. There have been occasional glimpses that Nadal is on the right path back to the top with his recent victories in Stuttgart and Hamburg, but the problem for the Spaniard has been when he tries to follow up these wins at ‘lesser’ tournaments with events alongside the world”s best. He was comfortably beaten by Kei Nishikori in Montreal last week as his confidence appears to be missing when he comes up against the sport’s top players. The one major thing to note is Rafa’s always made the final since 2010 (he missed 2012 & 2014 due to injuries).

He might perhaps be able to take solace from his old rival’s season in 2013. Federer himself slipped to number eight in the world and was written off by many after a hugely disappointing season two years ago, before rediscovering his form to challenge Djokovic at the top of the game.

With all this being said, it is sure to be an exciting two weeks at the US Open starting August 31st.

STATS-METER

• As the 2nd Seed – Federer’s been the 2nd seed at 14 slams over his career. He’s won on 4 occasions – 2004 AO, 2008 USO, 2009 FO, 2009 WIM – “Unique Career Slam as the No.2 seed”. Murray’s was seeded 2nd at 2 slams and he’s won 1 – the epic 2013 WIM.
• As the 3rd Seed – Federer’s been the 3rd seed at 7 slams over his career. He’s won just once as the 3rd seed – his last major victory – 2012 WIM. Murray’s was seeded 3rd at 8 slams and he’s won 1 – his first slam at the 2012 USO.

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic inches nearer to becoming the first man in history to win all nine Masters Series events or the “Career Golden Masters”, as he confronts qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov, the unorthodox Ukrainian in the Cincinnati semifinals. Novak Djokovic tries to get one step closer to a finals trip for a 5th time in Cincinnati (0-4 in finals in Cincy). The Western & Southern Open remains the only Masters level title that he has failed to win in his career. For Alexandr Dolgopolov, a win would give him his first career Masters level final.

With his resonating 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Stan Wawrinka on Friday, Novak Djokovic maintained his Cincinnati Masters aspiration alive and now faces surprise semifinalist Alexandr Dolgopolov for a place in the final.

A quarterfinal against Stan Wawrinka, the man who abnegated him the only Grand Slam he hasn’t yet won back in June, appeared like an austere challenge, particularly given that Djokovic hadn’t played his best tennis either last week in Montreal – where he lost in the final to Andy Murray – or in Cincinnati, struggling through in three sets over David Goffin in the third round. But in the end Djokovic was rock-solid against Wawrinka, edging a tight first set before racing away with the second for a comprehensive & astounding 6-4, 6-1 victory which was far from the classic the tennis world was anticipating for.

Djokovic won’t be particularly threatened by the sight of Dolgopolov as a SF opponent – not with Andy Murray and Roger Federer still safely settled in the bottom half of the draw. The top seed’s projected SF opponent was sixth seed Tomas Berdych, but the Czech – who is going through a lusterless spell – was the latest victim of an invigorated run from Dolgopolov.

The Ukrainian, ranked world no. 66, actually had to qualify for the Cincinnati Masters draw, but benefitted from the first-round bye that would have been Kei Nishikori’s, who withdrew after the draw was made. Dolgopolov has certainly made the most of that slash of luck, beating Bernard Tomic, Jerzy Janowicz – who had eliminated Gael Monfils – and finally sixth seed Berdych in comprehensive fashion, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the second Masters semifinal of his career so far.

Dolgopolov and Djokovic have played four times and each time the Serbian has been the winner (all coming in Masters or Grand Slam settings). Intriguingly, however, two of their four matches have gone the length, including their most recent meeting in Miami in March, when Djokovic won 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-0. Dolgopolov’s slicing, dicing, aggressive game can wreak mayhem with other players, even Djokovic, for a set, but if Djokovic is as rock-solid as he was against Wawrinka, he will counter & blunt Dolgopolov’s attacking edges and put himself just one match away from a fifth tilt at the Cincinnati Masters title.

Djokovic unquestionably wants this title for his “Golden Master” as the only one he has failed to win in his career. He should also be savouring either a revenge shot against Andy Murray or another chance to dent Roger Federer’s confidence in the final. Ironically, Novak’s never lost a SF in Cincy but has never won a final here (4-0 in SF & 0-4 in Finals).

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Defending champion Roger Federer is primed to collide with Feliciano Lopez in the Cincinnati Masters quarterfinals on Friday. The tennis cosmos was abnegated a Federer-Nadal quarterfinal in Cincinnati when Feliciano Lopez upset the established order by taking out fellow Spaniard in the 3R. So it will be second-seeded Roger Federer taking on Lopez with a berth in the semifinals on the line. Feliciano Lopez will attempt the hard task of beating Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in back to back matches in the Cincinnati quarterfinals when he takes on the world number three Federer tonight (Last man to beat Rafa and Roger (or vice versa) in back-to-back matches – Novak Djokovic in 2011 US Open).

Federer obviated a quarterfinal showdown with Rafael Nadal after Lopez upstaged his compatriot in three sets 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the third round. It was just the fourth time in 13 matches that Lopez had managed to pull off the victory against Nadal (2nd win in a row against Rafa after Shanghai 2014).

“It means a lot when you beat such a good player like him,” Lopez said. “It’s not a normal match. It’s something different and the atmosphere there when you play against Rafa, it’s always something special … I think he’s playing better, getting better and better”. “He played good today. I mean I was playing really my best today. Doesn’t matter the way he played because I was playing so good today”. Nadal agreed: “He played a fantastic match, I think. He played the best match ever against me, without a doubt”.

Lopez had earlier recorded straight set victories against both Milos Raonic and Andreas Seppi. But Federer presents the biggest challenge yet and Lopez has never defeated the World No. 3 in eleven attempts. Federer also eased his way into the quarterfinals after a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 victory against Kevin Anderson.

“Definitely felt better than other days. Felt good on the return, felt good on the serve, seeing just the ball really well,” Federer said. “It’s a pleasure to play that way because it doesn’t happen very often that you feel this good. So you’ve got to enjoy it, but then, unfortunately, you have to quickly put it behind you and look forward.”

He added: “Played a lot against him (Lopez) in my life. We go way back to the European Championships, under-16 and under-18 where I lost both times against him. “Then on the Tour I don’t think I lost against him, but we played on all different conditions, and we know each other obviously very well because of that. It was a tough match for him tonight; played a good ’breaker. Obviously everybody knows how well he can serve. He also beat Raonic here, now Rafa. Clearly he’s on a run.”

Federer is a six-time champion in Cincinnati, with his most recent title coming last year, whereas this is Lopez’s greatest run ever at the Masters event. Lopez is into his first quarterfinal in Cincinnati, while Federer is contesting his ninth. Every time Federer has advanced past the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, he has gone on to win the title (6-2 in QFs in Cincy; 6-0 in SFs and Finals).

Federer is a perfect 11-0 against Lopez in his career. In those eleven meetings, Lopez has only won four sets, the last one coming on clay in 2011. The last time Lopez won a set against Federer on hard courts was the 2007 US Open. Their most recent match was on the hard courts of Toronto last year during the 2014 Rogers Cup SF, which Federer won 6-3, 6-4.

​Swiss teen Belinda Bencic outlasted Simona Halep to win Sunday’s WTA Rogers Cup final when the Romanian second seed retired trailing 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 3-0.

Bencic, who upset world number one Serena Williams in the semi-finals, broke twice to open the third set before the effort of battling in extreme heat and humidity proved more than Halep could take. The Swiss 18-year-old has won 21 of her past 25 matches and defeated four top-10 foes this week, improving to 6-1 this year against such high-ranked rivals.

It was the second career WTA crown for Bencic, whose first came in June at Eastbourne, and it capped an impressive week in which she defeated six Grand Slam finalists — Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Sabine Lisicki, Ana Ivanovic, Halep and Williams, winner of the past four Grand Slam events in a row. Bencic will jump to 12th in the world rankings after starting the week 20th, improving her position for the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam event that starts August 31 in New York.

Halep and Bencic exchanged breaks over the first five games of the match before Bencic held for a 4-2 edge. The 18-year-old double faulted to surrender an equalizing break in the eighth game as the two battled into the tie-breaker. Halep, who had her left leg treated in the final changeover before the tie-breaker, seized a 4-1 lead but Bencic fought back to win six of the last seven points to claim the first set, the last when Halep netted a forehand.

After an early exchange of breaks in the second set, Bencic broke for a 4-2 lead and Halep, taking treatment for the extreme heat at humidity, seemed near the end. But she broke back to 4-3 and answered when Bencic broke for a 5-3 edge, breaking back again at love when the Swiss was serving for the match to pull within 5-4. Halep held and broke again for a 6-5 lead and then it was her turn to serve for the set, but Bencic broke back to force the second tie-breaker.

Winning six points of seven, Halep seized a 6-2 edge and rallied from a weak stretch for the third match in a row to level matters.

But Halep, who beat Bencic in straight sets at Wimbledon a year ago in their only prior meeting, did not have a second wind and Bencic dominated her twice in service games before Halep called it quits, only her fourth loss in 32 hardcourt starts in 2015.

STATS-METER

• Bencic’s week in Toronto has got to be the most impressive title run on the women’s tour in recent memory. She beat four of the world’s top-six – Serena Williams (No1), Simona Halep (No3), Caroline Wozniacki (No5) and Ana Ivanovic (No6) – plus two more slam finalists in Eugenie Bouchard (No25) and Sabine Lisicki (No24) (“all slam finalists”).
• Her assault on the world rankings has been gradual and steady and at 18, she owns two titles and has made two more finals. The good thing about Bencic is that instead of exploding onto the scene with some huge results in the slams, she’s actually been making progress throughout the year, transitioning nicely from being a world No1 junior in 2013, to a top-12 player on the women’s circuit two years later.
• With 18 years and 23 weeks, Bencic became the youngest female player to win the Rogers Cup, taking over that honor from Ana Ivanovic, who was 18 years and 41 weeks when she won the title in 2006.
• With her victory over Serena in the SF, Bencic is the youngest player to beat Williams, 33, since the American lost to a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova in the final at Wimbledon in 2004.
• It was her second defeat of the year and first on hard court since the 2014 WTA Finals to Simona Halep (22-Match win streak on Hard-Courts). The loss also ended William’s 18 match winning streak in three-set matches. Coincidentally, the last time she suffered a three-set loss was also in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup (against her sister Venus) in 2014. This was also William’s first loss in Toronto since 2009 when she lost to Elena Dementieva.
• Serena now drops to 43-2 this season (4 titles – Aus Open, Miami, Roland Garros and Wimbledon).
• The Head-to-Head is now 1-1 between Bencic & Halep.

Andy Murray survived three-hour war of attrition to topple Novak Djokovic for Montreal title on fifth match point. The Brit notched his 11th win over a World No. 1 on Sunday, stunning the Serbian 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 for the Rogers Cup title.

Murray extended his win streak in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 matches to 11 straight, capturing his 11th title at the level and second of the year (Madrid). The latest player to secure his spot at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, he won tour-level crown No. 35 and his third at the Rogers Cup, following a pair of title runs in 2009-10. Amelie Mauresmo and Jonas Bjorkman’s charge moves to 48-0 when winning the first set this year.

“To win this one was nice, especially the way the match went as well,” Murray said. “It would have been easy for me to let that one slip away. But I fought well and stayed calm in the important moments of the third set. “I think I did come up and play aggressively when I needed to. Especially in the third set when I was breakpoints down, I finished a couple of points at the net, got some free points on my first serve, as well. I would say the margins were so fine… I felt like I played as aggressively as I could today. That helped.”

EMIRATES AIRLINE US OPEN SERIES BONUS CHALLENGE STANDINGS 

There was much at stake in Sunday’s clash, with three-time Rogers Cup champion Djokovic (2007, ’11-12) chasing a 25th Masters 1000 crown and 55th overall at the tour-level. The top-ranked Serb had won 12 consecutive Masters 1000 finals, since falling to Roger Federer in Cincinnati 2012. Djokovic was also in the midst of a 30-match win streak at the Masters 1000 level, including title runs in Paris 2014 and Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Rome this year.The Scot, who will return to World No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time in two years, handed Djokovic just his fourth defeat this year and first in their ATP Head-to-Head rivalry since Wimbledon 2013 – ending an eight-match losing streak. Djokovic remains in front by a 19-9 overall margin.

“Andy is deservedly a winner today on the court,” said Djokovic. “I thought what made the difference was his serve and my serve. I didn’t serve well the first set and a half. “But not taking anything away from him, from his victory. He deserved it. He stepped in, played some great shots. Most of all the moments when he needed to, he served very, very well.”

Murray takes home $685,200 and 1,000 Emirates ATP Rankings points, while Djokovic earns $336,000 and 600 points in defeat. Both players will next head to Cincinnati for the Western & Southern Open, as the Emirates US Open Series continues to heat up.
Both players started strong, with Murray earning the first break opportunities following a brilliant half volley at 15/30 in the fourth game. Djokovic would do well to save five chances, but the second seed Murray finally broke through on No. 6 after 10 minutes, utilizing an aggressive game-plan in capturing more than double the baseline points won. He continued to pick up where he left off after yielding just three games to Kei Nishikori in Saturday’s semi-finals, consolidating for 4-1 in the first set.

But Djokovic would strike back. Murray had a 15/40 glimpse on the Serb’s serve for a double break lead and failed to convert. Djokovic dug deep, grinding from the back of the court with his backhand and drawing a Murray error to break back in the seventh game. The clock struck one hour on the match at 4-4 and Murray would save a break point to halt the slide, holding for 5-4. With the set on the line, he turned in another strong return game to break Djokovic for the opener 6-4.

Djokovic would respond swiftly, however, winning the first eight points of the second set to break immediately and consolidate for 2-0. Murray secured the break back for 3-3, rifling a cross-court return winner, but was unable to sustain the momentum as Djokovic broke once again to pull ahead 4-3. Murray looked to continue apply pressure on return, but the Belgrade native refused to concede the lead again, forcing a decider.

Murray answered in kind in the third set, breaking in the second game and surging ahead 3-0. Djokovic entered the match with a streak of 24 consecutive deciding-set wins at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level and was poised to break back, but Murray held after a mesmerizing 15-minute, 10-deuce fifth game, saving six break points for 4-1. He would miss a trio of match points on Djokovic’s serve at 5-2, but would not disappoint a game later, saving two break points and sealing the win after exactly three hours.

STATS-METER

• The loss ended an 8-match winning streak for Novak against the Scot overall (since Wimbledon 2013 Final) and also ended a 10-match winning streak on hard for the Serb (since losing the 2012 US Open Final).
• Overall Novak’s head-to-head against Andy: 19-9 (overall); Hard: 16-7; Clay: 3-0; Grass: 0-2.
• Andy’s win over Novak was his 1^st win against the World No.1 in a decider set (“best of 3 sets”); having lost the last 5 matches when a decider was played.
• Novak is 11-5 in Masters Events against the British No.1; but trails the Scot 3-4 in finals (Andy had won the first 3 finals before losing the next 3).
• Novak was contesting a career-best ninth straight ATP World Tour final dating back to this year’s Australian Open and riding a 12-match winning streak in ATP Masters 1000 finals since falling to Roger Federer in the Cincinnati decider in 2012.
• Novak had won his past 30 ATP Masters 1000 matches (Top 5 win streaks in Masters Events):
  • 31: Djokovic (2011)
  • 30: Djokovic (2014–2015)
  • 29: Federer (2005–2006)
  • 25: Djokovic (2013–2014)
  • 23: Nadal (2013)
• Novak and Andy have now played 7 finals in Masters Events (Most Finals against each other):
  • Nadal v Djokovic, 12 times (5-7)
  • Nadal v Federer, 10 times (3-7)
  • Murray v Djokovic, 7 times (4-3)
• It was No.1 vs No.2 seed in the Canada Masters Final for the 1st time since 2004 (2004 Toronto: (1) Federer d. (2) Roddick) & 1st time in Montreal since 1995 (1995 Montreal: (1) Agassi d. (2) Sampras).
• The Big 4 have won 11 of the last 12 Canada Masters Titles (only exception – Jo Wilfried Tsonga 2014).
• Andy Murray has now won 11 Masters Titles (9 Hard, 1 Indoor Hard, 1 Clay; 11-4 in Masters Finals); tied with Pete Sampras for the 10^th Rafa leads the way with 27 Masters Crowns.
• Djokovic is 52-4 this year (6-3 in finals); Murray is 53-8 this season (4-2 in finals). They have combined to win all the 6 Masters Events this year (Djokovic – Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Rome) & (Murray – Madrid, Montreal).
• Novak and Andy are the only players to have qualified for the season-ending World Tour Finals (played at the O2 Arena).