CINCINNATI:
Daniil Medvedev, coming off back-to-back ATP finals defeats, held off David
Goffin 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 Sunday to win the ATP Cincinnati Masters. The
ninth-seeded Russian finished with an ace after saving break points in the
final game, lifting a first Masters 1000 trophy after settling for runner-up
finishes to Nick Kyrgios in Washington and Rafael Nadal in Montreal last
weekend.

"These have
been the best three weeks of my life," Medvedev said. "My mentality
was the best, my serve was the best, my tennis has been really consistent.
"I didn't have one bad match, I hope to continue this way for next few
weeks." After his full-on post-Wimbledon schedule, the winner admitted:
"I'm so exhausted, I almost can't talk now." He also revealed that he
was starting to cramp in the final game, when he tossed his racquet in anger
before saving break points.

"I think my
Montreal final against Rafa was important," he said of hanging on. "I
was maybe able to use that experience that I had and David did not."
Medvedev, who only recently gained the ATP Top 10, now will find himself ranked
fifth as a result of his three-week run of form. "I don't check the
rankings every two minutes, but I do look after I do well at a tournament,"
he said. "If I had lost I'd be seventh, now I'm fifth." Medvedev
followed up his semi-final upset of defending champion Novak Djokovic as he
controlled feisty Belgian Goffin to win an ATP leading 31st hardcourt match.

He has the most
match wins on any surface this year with 43. Spanish superstar Nadal, who did
not play this week -- is second with 41, followed by Roger Federer on 39.
Medvedev stamped himself a contender for the US Open, the final Grand Slam of
the season that starts in Flushing Meadows in a week. Goffin was competing in
his second final of 2019 after losing to Federer in Halle.
"Congratulations to your team," he told Medvedev, "Once again,
an unbelievable week for you, fantastic. "I think you are ready for New
York."

Medvedev powered
to a 4-1 lead in the opening set but had to win it in a tiebreaker as Goffin,
coached by 2002 Australian open winner Thomas Johansson, fought back. But
Medvedev's break in the opening game of the second set was all he needed as he
avenged a loss to Goffin at Wimbledon this year. Earlier, Madison Keys came
from a break down in both sets to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) on
Sunday to win the WTA Cincinnati crown. The 2017 US Open finalist notched her
fifth career title and second this season after a win in Charleston in April.

She'll return to
the top 10 in the world rankings with the US Open a week away. Kuznetsova, a
two-time Grand Slam champion working her way back up the rankings after a
series of injuries, was broken back in the 10th game of each set by 16th-seeded
Keys -- who fired 13 aces on the way to victory. "If my team had told me a
week ago that I would be here, I would have laughed in their face,"
admitted Keys, who had endured two opening-match defeats since a second-round
exit at Wimbledon. Keys belted a total of 43 winners with 33 unforced errors
and broke Kuznetsova three times.

Kuznetsova was
the fourth Grand Slam winner Keys beat during the week, a string that included
Spain's Garbine Muguruza, reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep and Venus
Williams. "It was a tough draw from the very start," Keys said.
"I definitely think I played some of my best tennis consistently this
week. I'm obviously really happy and really proud of myself," she added, while
stressing she won't let the performance put more pressure on her at the US
Open. "It's definitely more of a building block," she said.

Despite leading
both sets, Kuznetsova never had a set point in either, Keys winning the final
four games of the first set before dropping her serve in the third game of the
second. Keys broke Kuznetsova to level at 5-all and ran out the winner in the
ensuing tiebreaker as the Russian sent a service return long on Keys's second
match point. "I just really focused in on obviously really important games
and was able to make her play a lot of balls," Keys said. "I think
when I was doing a good job at moving forward and kind of trying to neutralize
some of her deep, heavy, spinny shots, I was able to get out in front in the
point and play a little bit more offense."

Former world
number two Kuznetsova, who received a wildcard into the draw, beat top seed
Ashleigh Barty, world number three Ashleigh Barty and 2017 US Open champion
Sloane Stephens on her way to the final. "I had a lot of matches where
they could have gone either way, including this one," said Kuznetsova, who
will jump from 118th to 31st in the rankings and said she'd had a "great
week."

"I had
chances but she hit the ball well and was more aggressive. I'm happy with how I
played, I'm feeling great," she said. "It could give me more
motivation in the future," Kuznetsova added. "I just want to rest and
get ready for the Open." - AFP