It’s Championship Sunday in Cincinnati. In the women’s final, the world number one will look to become the first woman to ever win back-to-back titles in Canada and Cincinnati. In the men’s final, it’s the 46th instalment of one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history.
Simona Halep vs. Kiki Bertens
Kiki Bertens has really come into her own in 2018. After another season of strong results on clay, she’s now transferred that success onto the other surfaces. She made her first quarter-final at Wimbledon last month, advanced to the quarters last week at the Rogers Cup, and now she’ll play for the biggest title of her career in Cincinnati. Halep is 3-1 lifetime against Bertens, but they haven’t met on a hard court in almost eight years. Their most significant match was in the semis of Rome last year, a match Halep won handily. Neither player can be 100% going into this match given the amount of tennis they’ve played over the past two weeks, and given the humid conditions for yesterday’s semifinals. Halep’s coach, Darren Cahill, spoke about this match on ESPN in the US on Saturday, and compared Bertens’ game to that of Halep’s semifinal opponent, Aryna Sabalenka. Cahill talked about how both of those players hit big off both sides. Perhaps a similar opponent will help propel Halep to her second straight title. Judging by the way she’s been competing, I’m not betting against her.
Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic
Djokovic has the slightest of edges in their head-to-head: 23-22. This is actually their first meeting in over two-and-a-half years, when Djokovic won their four-set 2016 Australian Open semifinal. Novak has won six of their last eight meetings. They’ve played three previous finals in Cincinnati, most recently in 2015, with Federer taking all three. Djokovic is actually 0-5 in Cincinnati finals, the only Masters 1,000 tournament he’s yet to win. Roger is going for his eighth title in Cincinnati, and his 99th title overall. The fast-playing hart courts in Ohio have worked to Federer’s advantage in the past. Neither of these men have played their best this week. Djokovic though has more time on-court than Federer this week, and played three gruelling sets in the middle of the day yesterday against Marin Cilic. Roger got some extra rest after David Goffin retired from their semifinal early in the second set. It’s hard to know what to expect from either man in a week where their form has been so unpredictable, but Federer has a lot more working in his favour than Djokovic. Let’s hope both players can bring their best stuff for this blockbuster final just eight days prior to the US Open.
