Roger Continues Charge with Hometown Glory

Roger Federer took full advantage of his recent run of excellent form as he crowned himself champion at his hometown tournament in Basel.

The Swiss was in cruise control throughout the week and, although he dropped two sets (with Uzbek Denis Istomin and Croat Ivo Karlovic respectively), he found his game when it mattered most. He beat red-hot Belgian David Goffin 6-2,6-2 to claim his 6th trophy on homesoil. It's worth mentioning that Federer took advantage of some convenient defeats. For example his arch-rival, second-seeded Rafael Nadal, lost to 17 y.o. Croatian sensation Borna Coric in the quarterfinals.

"It is always such a treat to be in the final here, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd," confessed Roger. "It's why I play tennis, why I play the tournament here in Basel. It will remain very special for me personally.

The triumph is crucial for the Swiss who closes the gap in the battle for the year-end No.1 finish. Novak Djokovic now leads the race by less than 500 points, a very narrow margin considering there are 2500 points left up for grabs in the two final tournaments. Paris will probably shed more light on the matter, but the ATP World Tour Championships in London will have the final say. 

"It would be very special to reclaim No. 1," told Federer. "World No. 1 is what it's all about in our game. With the year I have had and the amount of finals I have played, the level of tennis I have played, I am pleased to see that I have a shot. But having a shot and being there is two separate things. I am sure that Novak is going to come in very motivated, just after having a baby. I am very happy for him. There are clearly interesting weeks ahead."

As the Swiss said, there are definitely interesting times ahead, so let's wish him the best of luck! #Letsdothis #FedererMagicIsOn

Federer continued his quest for the year-end No.1 position by claiming his sixth hometown crown in Basel. In the final, the Swiss beat red-hot Belgian David Goffin 6-2,6-2.

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Old Fox Serena Still Reigns Supreme

It's clear to me that a miracle doesn't happen every day—that's why it's called a miracle. When Simona Halep destroyed world No.1 Serena Williams in their round robin match, the world was quick to announce the emergence of a new queen. The Romanian had played fabulous tennis in her first two clashed losing a total of seven games against Serena (6-0,6-2) and Canadian darling, Eugenie Bouchard (6-2,6-3). Courteosy of the result, she was guaranteed a place in the semis independent on the outcome of her final clash with Ana Ivanovic. However, should she had lost to the Serb in straight sets, her biggest rival, i.e. Serena, would exit the competition and Ivanovic would go through. 

The situation was tricky. On one hand you don't want to give Serena a chance at revenge, but on the other hand you want to win the battle on court and dot want to get involved in strategic calculations—or need be, do you? The confusion was such that it completely derailed Simona. She "chose" the worst option: she lost to Ivanovic in three sets. It's easy to do the shoulda-woulda-coulda now, but in my view a true champion should be smart and make the most of his/her opportunities. What followed was the most natural of scenarios: Halep crushed Radwanska in the semis, Serena struggled against bestie Wozniacki, and the two got to meet again in the championship showdown.

Simona was overconfident that she can beat Williams again. She started strong breaking her opponent to seize an early lead. What she didn't consider is that the American is the fiercest competitor out there and that she's at her best when she feels she has nothing to lose. In a fracture of a second, she turned things around going to serve out a devastating 6-3,6-0 victory to three-peat at the Season's Ending WTA Championships.

"She was playing so well in the first set, like she did the last time we played," Williams said. "I was literally on the side of the court and I laughed. But then I just told myself I had nothing to lose. I knew I just had to relax and start playing better if I wanted to win—and I really wanted to win."

"It's just been an unbelievable week," Williams confessed. "I just started training again last week because I had such a bad knee in Beijing. I can't believe I even made it to Singapore, and now I have the Billie Jean King Trophy, so I'm just really excited."

To add to the celebration, Serena also clinched the year-end No.1 spot this week, for the second season running, straightening her reign as the WTA's leading lady. In 2014, the American didn't have things quite her way, having to wait until the US Open to make a Grand Slam quarterfinals. However, she won in New York and she retained the No.1 ranking throughout the season. With the emergence of the young guns, it remains to be seen if she can maintain her dominance in 2015. My guess is that Serena will not go away any time soon. 

In their round robin match, Simona Halep destroyed Serena, stunning the world No.1 6-0,6-2.

Courtesy of the results this week, Serena clinched the year-end No.1 trophy for the second season running.

When the two met again in the final, Serena was better prepared. She returned the favour, quickly dismissing Halep 6-3,6-0 to three-peat at the WTA Championships in Singapore. 

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The Bryans Have Really Won It All!

After claiming their 100th team title on homesoil, at the US Open, the extraordinary Bryan brothers have achieved two more major milestone this past weekend, completing their Masters 1000 collection, respectively securing the year-end No.1 for a record 10th time. 

While both are remarkable, ground-breaking performances, the Shanghai crown stands out a bit better as it basically marks the completion of a mission. A tough, extremely difficult mission, the mission to win it all. And at this point, the Bryans have literary won it all. They won all the four majors at least twice, the Olympic gold medal in London 2012, the Masters Cup, their 100th title, and now all the Masters 1000 trophies. All these in addition to setting tons of other records, which really make them the best tennis duo of all time.

In Shanghai, Bob and Mike Bryan put in quite a performance, cruising through the draw with relative ease. In the final, they defeated reigning French Open champions, Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Eduoard Roger-Vasselin.

“To win here, it's been a long time coming to Shanghai. To finally get across the finish line as the winning team was extra special today," said Mike.

“It's another great milestone. This week was full of them for us. To come and get in the title match, have a shot at winning the tournament that's eluded us, complete the Golden Masters, is amazing,” added Bob.

“It was really the last thing left for us to do. We can definitely shut it down today and be happy guys.”

With nothing left to win, it's difficult to imagine what's next in store for the twins. One amazing thing is that they are not scarce on motivation, so it seems they will be around to dominate men's doubles for many more years to come. Well done, boys! Huge congrats!

In addition to their slew of records, the extraordinary Bryan brother wrote another page in the history book by defeating Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin to win in Shanghai and complete their Masters 1000 collection.

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Federer Pulls Shanghai Miracle

Just when we thought that Federer's days of magic are long gone, the Swiss put together another masterful performance to claim his first title at the Shanghai Masters, one of the three Masters 1000 trophies missing from his resume (in addition to Monte Carlo and Rome).

But let's not forget that the week started with Federer saving five match points in his first round encounter with Argentinean Leonardo Mayer. All credit to the Swiss, but it was really a stroke of luck that saved him, Mayer's passing shot chipping the net before landing in his court—Federer was outplayed at that point and his Shanghai adventure could have been over. The sensational Heimlich maneuver proved a defining moment, Roger making the most of his second chance by going on and lifting the title. However, it was the extraterrestrial performance against world No.1, Novak Djokovic, in the semis, that got everyone talking. It was a super serve and volley display from the vintage Federer who broke once in each set to extract revenge on Djokovic for his heart-breaking defeat in the Wimbledon final. 

“It was a great match,” declared a thrilled Federer. “I think I played very well. There was nothing in the game today that wasn't working. I think it was a high-level match. I'm unbelievably happy with the way it went.”

Although he didn't quite maintained the same level in the final, Roger did an excellent job to dismiss the fierce opposition of the always dangerous Frenchman Gilles Simon. Although Simon has made a reputation of challenging him in the past, the Swiss remained strong when it mattered most, recovering from a break down in the opener on his way to a 7-6,7-6 victory. 

"It makes me very happy winning here because this tournament means a lot to me," said Federer. "I've always enjoyed coming here. I've come close a couple of times, but I've always wanted to win it as a Masters 1000.

"I feel unbelievable prestige to win this event. Especially putting my hands on the trophy for the first time is a good feeling, I must say. I'm very happy with the way I'm playing. Overall I'm just extremely happy right now."

Simon had a great week too, stunning Australian Open champion, Stan Wawrinka, and the always-dangerous Czech, Tomas Berdych, en route to his second Masters 1000 final (he lost to Andy Murray in the 2008 Madrid final).

In addition to claiming the elusive Shanghai trophy, Federer has also reduced the difference between him and Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings. The battle for the year-end No.1 is very much on right now, with the Swiss having a decent shot of grabbing that last-minute provided solid showings in Basel, the Paris Masters, and the Masters Cup in London. #LetsdothisFederer!

After saving five match points in the first round, an overly aggressive Roger Federer took full advantage of his second chance, going all the way to lifting the Shanghai Masters 1000 crown. In the final, the Swiss defeated Gilles Simon.

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