TORONTO – He won… again.
Roger Federer did the expected on Sunday and won the 2006 Rogers Cup in three sets over opponent Richard Gasquet (2-6, 6-3, 6-2). The Toronto triumph was anything but the sweeping victory that many expected from the world’s top player as he actually seemed beatable, at least for the first set in the match.
Richard Gasquet came out and was on fire at the beginning of the game. After both men held serve in the first two games, Gasquet was given a triple-break opportunity in the third game. Although Federer did his best and saved the first two chances, an unforced error resulted in Gasquet’s first break of the set. It would not be the last.
In the fifth game of the first set, another Federer faux-pas resulted in Gasquet’s second break of the match giving him a 4-1 game advantage. He went on to win the first set (6-2) and looked to be the better man.
Federer then stepped up, proving why he has already achieved legendary status in tennis lore.
After Gasquet had a triple-break opportunity to open the second set, Federer managed to hold on and then went on to break his French opponent in the next game, giving him a 2-0 lead.
At a post-game press conference, he said that it was one of the turning points in the game.
“I couldn’t believe I started the second set so bad,” Federer said. “That’s like a key moment of the match. At the same time, you know, by giving yourself a Love-40, you can also take away his confidence by coming back in that game and winning that game, make him start doubting himself, like that was his big opportunity. I mean, he had to pay the price very hard obviously by not in the end winning the tournament.”
Gasquet seemed to agree.
“At 2-Love for him, I had two break points,” he said. “I miss them. After, it will be hard for me.”
Gasquet went on to say that the critical game did impact his psyche.
“Yeah, I think I could win because I was leading 6-2, Love-50 on his serve,” he said. “I could win this match. If I do this game, it’s another match.”
Federer went onto dominate the second set, with his pulsating forehands and incomparable form, finally looking like the champion he has been billed as.
If the game was a boxing match and the European pair traded their racquets for gloves, it was clear that the match was even heading into the third set, with each player winning one round and neither being able to score the knockout blow.
The third set also saw Federer and Gasquet trade even-handed swings, until the ATP No. 1 seed broke Gasquet in the fifth game to take a 3-2 advantage. The proverbial writing was on the wall at this point as Federer held his next serve and broke Gasquet again, giving him an insurmountable 5-2 advantage. Gasquet would not win another game as Federer won the set (6-2) and the game.
Even at the start of this tournament, it became increasingly clear that this was Roger’s Cup and Roger’s Tournament. The win also gave Federer his 40th career title and minutes after the match, he said that this one still hadn’t sunk in.
“This one seems like it takes awhile to realize I’ve won the title somehow,” he said. “It all happened quickly in the end. Posing there with the trophy, I’m like, geez, I’m already the champ, you know. Not like it went quick or anything. I had fight for it. But still, I got back in the locker room. I was still like, that’s it? Is it all over?”
Federer continued by saying that even with all of the championships he has managed to secure, he keeps track of them all and that his second Rogers Cup title (he first won the Cup in 2004), means a lot.
“This one ranks for me very high every time,” he said. “Masters Series is big. The six matches in six days against all let’s say top 50 players, that is tough stuff. For me, this is a big tournament, big win.”
The tournament was also big for organizers, who saw an afternoon attendance of 10, 500. The Rogers Cup had a total attendance of 155, 290.
Tournament director Grant Connell said that from a financial perspective, it was the best in the 125-year history of the Toronto competition.
“We had one year where the numbers were higher, but there’s a lot of seat filling programs,” he said. “It was right around the SARS period. We gave a lot of tickets out to health care workers, stuff like that. Technically that number might have been higher, but this one is revenue wise our best.”
The Rogers Cup now turns it attention to Montreal where the women will compete.
As for Federer, the U.S. Open is the main focus, as well as another tournament in Cincinnati. He said that there are still improvements that can be made to his game.
“I think I played a couple of loose points here and there through the tournament,” he said. “I think out of at least four three-set matches, I could have definitely cut out two, that could have gone two sets. I think that’s maybe what I do a bit better at (Grand) Slams. I concentrate even harder.”
As for Gasquet, he said that despite the loss, it was a great tournament for his game.
“It’s a great week for me,” he said. “I won (against) five great players. I won (against) Berdych, Murray and Blake on this court. No, it’s great I did the final on a Masters Series against Federer. I lost in three sets. It’s a fantastic week for me. I am really, really happy to play a final in a tournament like Toronto.”
