This archive report was first published on 23 August 2021.
On a triumphant Sunday in Cincinnati, Alexander Zverev added another title to his growing collection, claiming his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over Andrey Rublev.
Just a week before the US Open, Zverev's win puts him in a strong position to make a deep run in the tournament. The German, who has been playing with his childhood friend and rival Rublev since their junior days, needed less than an hour to lift the trophy.
"The US Open starts in a week's time, so obviously I want to keep it up and maybe play even better there," Zverev said in an interview.
Meanwhile, Ashleigh Barty continued her impressive form, winning her fifth title of the season with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jil Teichmann in the WTA final. The Australian, who will maintain her number one ranking as the final Grand Slam of the year approaches, took control of the match mid-way through the first set and never looked back.
"It's been an awesome week, with each match getting progressively better," Barty said. "Today, I was able to trust myself and play with confidence, which was important in a big final."
With her win, Barty stretched her WTA Tour-leading match win tally this season to 40. Teichmann, who had a stellar week, beating three top 12 players, including Naomi Osaka, Karolina Pliskova, and Belinda Bencic, was left impressed by Barty's performance.
"I'm very happy with my week, today I wanted to win, but Ash was just too good," Teichmann said. "I felt like I was there in the first set, but suddenly the first set was gone. She stepped up her level in the second – she was too good."
