<p>Roger Federer won an unprecedented sixth championship in Cincinnati, overcoming one bad set. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Serena Williams dominated for her first title.<br /><br />Federer extended his record of finals perfection in Cincinnati, beating David Ferrer 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. He’s won all six times he’s reached the tournament’s title match.<br />The latest came against an opponent he has dominated throughout his career. <br /><br />Federer improved to 16-0 against Ferrer, who has won only five sets off him overall.<br />It ended a bit of a slump for Federer, who finally got the large winner’s trophy after losing his last four Masters title matches. He was the runner-up to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Toronto a week earlier. “I’ve been bringing home some smaller ones,” Federer said. “I’m happy to get the big one.”<br /><br />Earlier, Williams finally got the one that had always slipped away. And she did it so convincingly that she came away thinking another title could be coming soon. <br /><br />Williams needed only 62 minutes to beat Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1 for a personal breakthrough. She’d never even reached the finals in Cincinnati until last year, when she fell apart and lost to Victoria Azarenka on a third-set tiebreaker.<br /><br />No wobbles this time. After getting broken in the first game, she took control with her serve and took advantage of Ivanovic’s sloppy play, improving to 5-0 in finals this year. “Definitely my best performance of the summer,” she said.<br /><br /> “Hopefully not the last. This is definitely a level that can take me to the (US Open) title. I still have a lot of work to do. It’s definitely a better level than I’ve played all year, to be honest.” Ivanovic was treated for a stomach ailment during her nearly 3-hour win over Maria Sharapova in the semifinals on Saturday. She didn’t have much left against Williams, who dominated with her serve.<br /><br />Williams had 12 aces.<br /><br />“Only?” Ivanovic said. “It felt like way more.”<br /><br />The only other event that Williams has played six times without a title is Sydney. She finally got her win in Cincinnati with the help of a good matchup. Williams is 7-1 in her career against Ivanovic, with the only loss coming at the Australian Open this year. <br /><br />Although their last three matches have been close with all of them to going three sets-this one was one-sided after the first few games.<br /><br /> “I felt like she was dominating,” Ivanovic said.<br /><br />Williams developed a stiff back that limited her serve in the semifinals on Saturday night. She moved stiffly at the start in the final, before stepping it up.</p>
<p>Roger Federer won an unprecedented sixth championship in Cincinnati, overcoming one bad set. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Serena Williams dominated for her first title.<br /><br />Federer extended his record of finals perfection in Cincinnati, beating David Ferrer 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. He’s won all six times he’s reached the tournament’s title match.<br />The latest came against an opponent he has dominated throughout his career. <br /><br />Federer improved to 16-0 against Ferrer, who has won only five sets off him overall.<br />It ended a bit of a slump for Federer, who finally got the large winner’s trophy after losing his last four Masters title matches. He was the runner-up to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Toronto a week earlier. “I’ve been bringing home some smaller ones,” Federer said. “I’m happy to get the big one.”<br /><br />Earlier, Williams finally got the one that had always slipped away. And she did it so convincingly that she came away thinking another title could be coming soon. <br /><br />Williams needed only 62 minutes to beat Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1 for a personal breakthrough. She’d never even reached the finals in Cincinnati until last year, when she fell apart and lost to Victoria Azarenka on a third-set tiebreaker.<br /><br />No wobbles this time. After getting broken in the first game, she took control with her serve and took advantage of Ivanovic’s sloppy play, improving to 5-0 in finals this year. “Definitely my best performance of the summer,” she said.<br /><br /> “Hopefully not the last. This is definitely a level that can take me to the (US Open) title. I still have a lot of work to do. It’s definitely a better level than I’ve played all year, to be honest.” Ivanovic was treated for a stomach ailment during her nearly 3-hour win over Maria Sharapova in the semifinals on Saturday. She didn’t have much left against Williams, who dominated with her serve.<br /><br />Williams had 12 aces.<br /><br />“Only?” Ivanovic said. “It felt like way more.”<br /><br />The only other event that Williams has played six times without a title is Sydney. She finally got her win in Cincinnati with the help of a good matchup. Williams is 7-1 in her career against Ivanovic, with the only loss coming at the Australian Open this year. <br /><br />Although their last three matches have been close with all of them to going three sets-this one was one-sided after the first few games.<br /><br /> “I felt like she was dominating,” Ivanovic said.<br /><br />Williams developed a stiff back that limited her serve in the semifinals on Saturday night. She moved stiffly at the start in the final, before stepping it up.</p>