Rogers Cup

Zverev, Svitolina dominate.

In an extraordinary display of power tennis, Sasha Zverev dominated Roger Federer in the Rogers Cup final.  It’s not often that Federer is treated this way on a hard court (Djokovic has done it on occasion).  By the middle of the second set, Federer actually looked resigned to defeat.  What more can one say about the play of Zverev, the youngest player to win two masters 1000 events in one year since 2007.  He is serving very well, hitting all ground strokes with amazing power, and moving very well for one his size.  His net play can still improve, but he doesn’t often need to play the net – he just destroys opponents from the base line.  Barring injury, this man is headed for the very top of the ladder.  Zverev is likely to be seeded in the top 4 at the US open, with Djokovic, Murray, and Wawrinka not playing.

Similarly, Elina Svitolina dominated Caroline Wozniaki, who beat world #1 Karolina Pliskova on her way to the final.  Svitolina played error free tennis and kept the ball very deep.  Wozniaki did all she could, but it wasn’t nearly enough.  As many pundits have pointed out, the women’s tour is wide open right now.  That should make the US Open very interesting to watch.