Alexander Zverev was a relentless force in toppling Roger Federer 6-3, 6-4 for the Coupe Rogers title on Sunday. He fired 20 winners, including nine off his forehand wing, to prevail after just 68 minutes on Court Central in Montreal.
The German added a second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the season, adding to his victory in Rome (d. Djokovic). He joins Federer atop the tour-level titles leaderboard in 2017 with a fifth crown in total.
10 wins in a row ☑️
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 13, 2017
5 titles in 2017 ☑️
Alexander Zverev defeats Roger Federer to become the youngest #CoupeRogers winner in 10 years! pic.twitter.com/aTYxYhT2sY
Here is how the final unfolded...
FIRST SET - Zverev 6-3
Both players will have their last FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter fresh in their minds as they enter Court Central. A comprehensive 6-1, 6-3 victory in the Gerry Weber Open final in June was a statement win for Federer. But now under the tutelage of former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, Zverev is well aware of his gameplan against the Swiss. It's a matter of execution.
Zverev had Federer on his heels from the start on a sun-kissed afternoon in the Canadian metropolis. The German was poised and aggressive off the ground to create space for his power game. Short-angled winners off thumping forehands and backhands sent an immediate message to the 36-year-old Swiss, as he grabbed a quick break for 3-1.
Zverev consolidated for 4-1 and did well to escape a 30-all moment of danger in the subsequent game. Federer earned a quick hold to love for 5-3, but it was Zverev who would close out the opener with aplomb after just 30 minutes.
SECOND SET - Zverev 6-4
Momentum on serve proved to be the critical factor in their Halle encounter in June, with Federer dominating the first serve points won by a margin of 93-53 per cent. But it was Zverev who would set the tone early with his own service rhythm. The 20 year old defended his serve well, claiming an efficient 73 per cent of second serve points in the opening set. He was very aggressive in launching his second delivery, with one clocked at 132 mph.
Zverev's serve was immediately put to the test in the second set, as Federer earned a trio of break points in his first service game. The fourth seed would save them all in dominant fashion, firing a pair of service winners to hold for 1-all.
The 20 year old claimed the point of the match in the next game, as Federer misfired on an overhead smash and the #NextGenATP used his great agility to scamper for a pair of sensational defensive digs and eventually forced a forehand error from the former World No. 1.
Wow.
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 13, 2017
Sascha Zverev is a defensive wizard! #CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/z60LdZP9lq
Zverev continued to breeze through his service games in the second set and he would take advantage of an error-strewn game from Federer to break for 4-3. It proved to be the decisive break for the fourth seed, who cruised to the finish line after a mere 68 minutes. A service winner capped a scintillating performance, as Zverev notched his fifth ATP World Tour title of the season and second at the Masters 1000 level.
