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Previewing the Cincinnati Finals: Serena, Ivanovic, Federer, Ferrer

Aug 17th 2014

Sunday is finals day in Cincinnati, and there are three blockbuster finals to watch. From the opening men’s doubles final at 12:15 (on Grandstand) to the final men’s match at 4 P. M., this looks to be an intense day of top-level tennis.

Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock

Intriguingly enough, the tightest and most anticipated of the finals may actually be the men’s doubles final. It is a rematch of the instant-classic Wimbledon final from a few months ago, which was quite possibly the greatest doubles match (and certainly Grand Slam final) that anyone has seen in a long, long time.

Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock teamed up for the first time at Wimbledon and immediately shocked everyone by upsetting favored team after favored team. Eventually, though, their dream run had to end when they met the legendary twins Bob and Mike Bryan in the final—or so everyone thought. The classic, high-level, back-and-forth final was gripping doubles tennis that we haven’t seen in a long time. Eventually, on their fifth match point, Jack Sock returned a second serve for a clean winner. It was the first Grand Slam title for the PopSocks (or Sockpisil, neither nickname has really stuck yet), who upset four top-10 seeds to win it.

Since then, Pospisil and Sock have not lost a match. They are 14-0 as a team, winning a title in Atlanta as well. This fascinating rematch with the Bryans will go a long way for this young team to attempt to wrest control of the doubles world from the twins. A win here would also greatly bolster the youngsters’ chances of reaching the World Tour Finals in London, which can have a tremendous impact on their careers.

Unfortunately, on paper, neither the men’s nor the women’s final seems as interesting as the men’s doubles final. Then again, matches aren’t played on paper for a reason.

Ana Ivanovic

In the women’s final, Ana Ivanovic is taking on Serena Williams. Serena is 6-1 in her career against Ivanovic, although Ana’s one win came at this year’s Australian Open. Ivanovic is still working her way back to the top of the women’s game after abruptly falling off the map following her lone Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2008. This is her first marquee final since 2009, and a win could do a lot towards restoring her confidence to what it was back then.

Ivanovic and Serena both came through their semifinals in similar fashions. Both struggled at times against talented opponents. Serena played a poor first set before finally overtaking an on-fire Caroline Wozniacki. Serena acknowledged that her back bothered her a little during the match and that she had some physical issues, which she described as “just a little wear and getting my body used to playing matches, because my body is not used to playing a lot of matches anymore this year.”

Ivanovic, on the other hand, dominated Maria Sharapova for a set and a half before things fell apart a little. She regained her composure just in time to take the match at the end of the third set. Ivanovic is excited just to get to this final, saying, “Oh, this means so much to me. I think this is the biggest final I've been in in a while. It's an amazing feeling.” A positive attitude can do a lot on court, and she is going to need every edge she can get if she wants to beat Serena.

Roger Federer

If the women’s final has a lopsided head-to-head, it pales next to the matchup in the men’s final. David Ferrer has not defeated Roger Federer in the 15 times they have played. In fact, in those 15 matches, Ferrer has won a total of two sets. The simple issue is a matchup problem. Ferrer can grind down just about anyone in the world from the baseline and find way to open up points. He has no single huge weapon to attack or open up the court, though. His grinding style can beat just about anyone on tour. The problem is that it is wholly ineffective against Federer. Match after match between these two ends in a lopsided affair. It’s just a poor matchup of styles.

If there is one way to add intrigue to this final, it’s that one of the sets that Ferrer has taken off Federer happened to be last week in Montreal. Also, Federer has been up and down a bit this week, although he was on all match against Raonic on Saturday night. Ferrer will need to be at his absolute best and will need Federer to be off his game a little to even have a chance. Anything is possible, of course, but an upset here is unlikely.