Tennis: Serena rolls past Osaka in Toronto, Halep retires

Serena Williams moved into the Rogers Cup semi-finals on Friday with a maiden career victory over Naomi Osaka in their first meeting since the American's infamous row with an umpire overshadowed last year's U.S. Open final.

The 6-3 6-4 loss continued a run of poor form for Osaka but there was some good news later in the day when Karolina Pliskova lost to ensure the U.S and Australian Open champion would replace Ash Barty as world number one next week.

Williams will next face qualifier Marie Bouzkova, who advanced when Wimbledon champion and holder Simona Halep retired from their match with a left Achilles problem after dropping the first set 6-4.

There was no doubt about what was the big match of the day at the third oldest tournament in tennis.

Unlike at Flushing Meadows last year, where Osaka won her first Grand Slam title, there were no fiery exchanges with the umpire, no smashed rackets, no point or game penalties -- just a rock-solid performance from Williams.

The 37-year-old is looking to shore up her hardcourt game for the Aug. 26-to-Sept. 8 U.S. Open where she will chase a record-tying 24th career Grand Slam title.

Williams had slow starts in her previous two outings this week but came out much stronger for this one and delivered a serving masterclass that denied Osaka any break point opportunities.

"We haven't played since New York which was a really good match for her and I just wanted to come out and try to win a set this time because she's beaten me twice so I just wanted to do the best I could today," Williams said in an on-court interview.

There was a scary moment in the second set when the American ran into the net post while trying to chase down an Osaka drop shot but, despite nursing her right arm, Williams confirmed that no serious damage had been done.

"Tennis players don't really get too dirty and ugly on the court. So that was one of a few moments where those kind of injuries can happen or whatever," said Williams. "But it was fine. It hurt, but it wasn't the end of the world."

Czech 21-year-old Bouzkova's breakout run in Toronto will carry into the weekend after Halep, who had been complaining about her Achilles all week, retired from their match.

"Achilles problems. I felt since the first match here. And today I felt it more, so that's why I decided to retire," said Halep. "Tomorrow it would have been Serena and is not easy."

In earlier quarter-final action, Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu played through leg pain to keep her dream run alive with a 6-0 2-6 6-4 upset of Czech Pliskova.

Andreescu looked to be in trouble when she gingerly returned to the court from a medical timeout late in the second set with her right thigh heavily taped and her movement hampered.

But the 19-year-old, who shot to prominence with her Indian Wells triumph in March, went toe-to-toe with her more experienced opponent to win by serving out to love.

"When I step out on the court, I'm fearless. I show no mercy no matter who I play, and I think that's showing a lot," said Andreescu.

Up next for Andreescu will be unseeded American Sofia Kenin, who extended her impressive Toronto run with a 7-6(2) 6-4 win over Ukrainian former champion Elina Svitolina.

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Tennis: Serena, Osaka advance in Toronto to set up rematch

Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka advanced to the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Thursday to set up their first meeting since the American's infamous row with an umpire overshadowed last year's U.S. Open final.

Osaka won her first career Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows but the title match will be remembered for Williams' feud with Carlos Ramos, who warned her for a coaching violation before deducting a point and then a game for her behavior.

Williams, a three-times Rogers Cup champion, overcame a sluggish start on Thursday to earn a 7-5 6-4 win over Russian qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Japanese second seed Osaka then closed out the day's action with a 7-6(4) 6-4 win over Polish qualifier Iga Swiatek.

"I've been actually looking forward to playing her for a while," Williams said of the Osaka matchup.

Williams, who is eager to get more hard-court matches under her belt before seeking a record-tying 24th career Grand Slam at the U.S. Open, came back from an early double-break down, helped in part by eight double-faults by Alexandrova in the first set.

The American eighth seed, in her first career meeting with Alexandrova, went down a break again and trailed 3-1 in the second but her serve suddenly started to click as she stormed back to 3-3 and from there raced home.

"She played really well. She didn't really give me any rhythm," Williams said. "I wasn't sure what would come, if it was going to be hard or soft or a winner or what so it was definitely a challenge for me."

Osaka also had her hands full and needed to save a pair of set points before grabbing the opener against Swiatek.

The Japanese made a quick start to the second set and seemed in control until Swiatek made a comeback, the 18-year-old winning over the crowd with her versatile play as the match wore on.

Osaka, 21, said she was excited about the chance to play Williams, someone she grew up watching and has beaten in their two previous meetings.

"Whenever I get the opportunity to play her it's something that I feel is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." said Osaka.

"It feels more like I am showcasing my skills to her like 'look what I can do.' So I will go into the match with that mentality."

Defending champion Simona Halep, in her first event since winning last month's Wimbledon, needed 67 minutes to secure a 6-2 6-1 win over Russian wildcard Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Halep took a medical timeout in her previous match to have her left Achilles tended to and she said she still felt pain in the area against Kuznetsova but that it was feeling much better.

"The fact that I'm back in the quarter-finals here means a lot to me," said Halep. "It feels like I'm getting back the rhythm which I had in Wimbledon."

Up next for Halep will be in-form Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova, who breezed by former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-2 and has yet to drop a set.

Earlier on Thursday, Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova beat Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-3 7-5 to set up a last eight meeting with Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who upset Dutch fifth seed Kiki Bertens 6-1 6-7(7) 6-4.

Also securing passage to the last eight were American Sofia Kenin and 2017 champion Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

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Tennis: Serena storms into third round in Toronto

TORONTO - Serena Williams made a solid start to her first U.S. Open tune-up with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Elise Mertens on Wednesday while Naomi Osaka took a step closer to regaining her world No. 1 ranking by reaching the last 16 of the Rogers Cup.

Three-times champion Williams, playing her first match since falling to Simona Halep in the Wimbledon final, married her trademark power with quick movement and a steady stream of booming serves to overwhelm Belgian Mertens.

"It feels good," Williams said of her return to the hard-court surface. "Definitely feels different as I didn't play a ton this year on hardcourts but it feels good to be back out here."

Williams is keen to get more hard-court matches in before going for a record-equalling 24th career Grand Slam title at the Aug. 26-Sept. 8 U.S. Open and she took some time to hit her stride on Wednesday.

After a pedestrian start, Williams raised the intensity during a lengthy four-deuce service game in the first set that she closed out with a thundering ace to go ahead 4-3 and set the tone for the rest of the 75-minute match.

She went on to win six of the final seven games to seal the win.

Williams will face Russian qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16 and a win would set up a potential quarter-final with U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka, which would be their first encounter since last year's controversial New York final.

Earlier on Tuesday, Japanese second seed Osaka won the first set against Tatjana Maria 6-2 and advanced when the German qualifier retired.

"I thought I played really well despite the fact that we only played one set," said Osaka. "I'm just happy that it was my first match in a while and I was able to get in the groove of things quickly."

By reaching the last 16, Osaka is set to unseat Australian Ash Barty, who lost her second-round match on Tuesday, as world number one next week, though Karolina Pliskova also has a chance to reclaim top spot if she reaches the semi-finals.

The Czech third seed beat American qualifier Alison Riske 6-4 6-7(4) 6-2 and will next face Estonian Anett Kontaveit, who was beating Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5 3-1 when the Spaniard retired with a hip injury.

Fourth seed Halep survived a stern test from American qualifier Jennifer Brady with a 4-6 7-5 7-6(5) victory to reach the last 16 and keep alive her hopes of winning a second consecutive Rogers Cup title.

Halep, playing her first match since Wimbledon, needed a medical timeout to get treatment on her left leg and even after building a 4-0 cushion in the deciding set had to dig deep after Brady mounted a comeback.

"I was tired in the third set, I felt the Achilles since the first point of the match, but it's normal after a break and also coming on the hard courts," said Halep. "It's very difficult for the ankles and also for the knees."

Next up for Halep will be Russian wildcard Svetlana Kuznetsova, who got by Croatia's Donna Vekic 7-6(4) 6-3.

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki fell 1-6 6-3 6-4 to Polish qualifier Iga Swiatek, who smacked 34 winners en route to the win over the 2010 champion under the lights.

"It's amazing. I'm feeling great," the teenager said.

"I mean, I'm really tired, and I should be sleeping right now," she said.

Swiatek will need all the rest she can get before she faces Osaka in the third round on Thursday.

Among the other players advancing were Ukrainian sixth seed and 2017 champion Elina Svitolina, Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska, Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, Canadian Bianca Andreescu and Swiss Belinda Bencic.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto and Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Ed Osmond/Peter Rutherford)

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Halep beats Stephens in Montreal in repeat of French Open win

World number one Simona Halep turned back American Sloane Stephens 7-6(6) 3-6 6-4 to win the Rogers Cup women's title in a rematch of their French Open finale in Montreal on Sunday.

Romanian Halep, who had beaten Stephens in Paris in June, claimed her second Montreal title in three years and third for the 2018 season.

She closed out the hard-fought match with her third ace of the day.

"It's an amazing feeling to be able to talk again at this ceremony as a winner," Halep said.

"I feel like I reached my best level of tennis, even if I had a long break before this tournament and I felt dead after the first day."

Halep fended off four set points to claim a back-and-forth first set in a tiebreak after storming to a 4-1 lead before U.S. Open champion Stephens fought back to level.

Halep broke the third-seeded Stephens with a crosscourt winner to take a 5-4 lead and serve for the set. But the American broke Halep with a forehand winner and held two set points on the Romanian's serve at 6-5. A crosscourt backhand saved one and Stephens netted a return on the second.

Numerous forehand errors by Halep gave Stephens a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak and the American went up 6-4 before Halep rallied, crushing a backhand down the line to earn her first set point, which she converted.

Stephens led throughout the second set, breaking Halep twice, but the Romanian took control of the third set, turning a break into a 5-2 advantage.

Stephens rallied to within 5-4 before Halep, on her fourth match point, slammed her third ace of the match and dropped to her knees in triumph.

"You make me play better and better every time we play," Halep said of Stephens.

The American returned the compliment.

"Even though I lost today, I literally left everything on the court," Stephens said.

"Obviously I'm sad I lost, but losing to the number one player isn't too bad.

"Every time I play her, she makes me a better player, she makes me raise my level."

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Nadal topples birthday boy Tsitsipas in Toronto final

TORONTO - Rafael Nadal ended the red-hot run of Greek upstart Stefanos Tsitsipas with a ruthless 6-2 7-6(4) win on Sunday that gave the Spanish top seed his fourth Rogers Cup championship.

Tsitsipas, who was contesting the Masters 1000 final on his 20th birthday after four consecutive wins over top-10 players in Toronto, threw all he had at Nadal but was ultimately unable to beat the world number one.

"If you told me this two weeks ago I would not have believed it," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "It's a great way to start the hardcourt season. Winning in Toronto is so important. You don't win Masters 1000s very often. It's a very important victory for me and I'm very happy."

Tsitsipas did well to serve out at love in the first game but Nadal took over as he broke back in each of his next two chances before sealing the opening set in 34 minutes when the world number 27 sent a routine forehand into the net.

The second set looked to be going much the same way until Tsitsipas mounted a late charge that briefly shifted momentum in his favour.

Nadal, serving for the match at 5-4 and having dropped only three points on serve the entire match up to that point, suddenly looked tight as Tsitsipas broke him and then held serve to pull within one game of levelling the contest.

"I got nervous, I played a terrible game," said Nadal after winning his first hardcourt Masters title since Cincinnati in 2013. "But that's how it is. You keep going. That's part of the sport.

"Everybody gets tight at some moments. Today for me was an important match and I just made a couple mistakes but the positive news is I played my best match without a doubt."

Nadal, much to the dismay of the many flag-waving Greek supporters in attendance, forced a tiebreak where he rallied back from a mini break and clinched the win with a crosscourt forehand winner for a record-extending 33rd Masters title.

The win made the 32-year-old Spaniard, who also won the Rogers Cup in 2005, 2008 and 2013, the fourth player in the professional era to win 80 titles, joining a club that includes Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (98) and Ivan Lendl (94).

(Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Clare Fallon and Pritha Sarkar)

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Tennis: Tsitsipas stuns Zverev to reach Toronto semi-finals

Stefanos Tsitsipas saved two match points to beat defending champion Alexander Zverev 3-6, 7-6 (13/11), 6-4 and reach the semi-finals of the Toronto Masters on Friday.

The Greek teenager, who turns 20 on Sunday's final day, defeated his third straight top 10 opponent at the tournament after knocking out Dominic Thiem in the second round and 13-time major winner Novak Djokovic in the third.

Tsitsipas is the youngest player to post three top 10 wins at a single tournament since a 19-year-old Rafael Nadal at Monte Carlo in 2006.

He will next face Wimbledon runner-up Kevin Anderson, who beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2. 

"I'm confused now, is this real?," 27th-ranked Tsitsipas said after completing his prestige hat-trick of upsets.

The Greek rallied from a set and 5-2 down to turn the tables on Zverev, who had been bidding for a fourth Masters 1000 title. 

"He started putting some balls into the court. I lost a little bit of concentration, a little bit of rhythm," Zverev said. "Even if I would have won, it wasn't a good match."

Tsitsipas broke in the ninth game of the second on the way into a tiebreaker, where he calmly converted on his fifth set point after saving two match points for the second-seeded Zverev.

Tsitsipas then salvaged four break points for 2-1 in the third, he traded breaks with the German and saved another trio of break points for a 5-4 lead.

He completed the victory after nearly two and a half hours on Zverev's sixth double-fault.

"This shows that with dedication and work, dreams do come true," Tsitsipas said. "I can see that it's real -- it's happening.

"I don't know what happened (in the second set) I just broke him (for 4-5), All along I could feel the crowd support, I knew I was still in the match."

Anderson's sweep past reigning ATP World Tour Finals champion Dimitrov was a rematch of their 2014 quarter-final duel in Canada when Dimitrov claimed one of his six wins against the South African.

"It definitely was a great match today. I felt I played really well right from the beginning," Anderson said.

"Right from the first point till the last, I felt I was in a really good frame of mind, playing the kind of tennis that I knew I wanted to be playing and needed to be playing.

"Getting off the court pretty comfortably definitely is a really good feeling."

Anderson hadn't defeated the Bulgarian for six years but he was in command throughout on Friday to reach his second career Masters 1000 semi-final having also made the last-four on clay in Madrid in May.

The big South African rolled into the semis in just 66 minutes, breaking four times while managing only a modest 11 aces.

"There's not much to say, he came out, played his game and everything was going his way," Dimitrov said. "He did everything well -- simple as that.

"There was not much for me to do. I tried as hard as I can, but I couldn't get into a rally."

Dimitrov will now head for the Cincinnati Masters where he is the defending champion. Tsitsipas won his only previous match over Anderson, beating him on clay last May in Estoril. 

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Nadal routs Paire to reach third round in Toronto

TORONTO - Rafael Nadal was made to wait before his second-round Rogers Cup match due to several rain delays but did his part to put the schedule back on track with a speedy 6-2 6-3 win over Frenchman Benoit Paire on Wednesday.

World number one Nadal, who kicked off the evening session a little over an hour after its original start time, had some issues with his serve later in the match but still needed only 74 minutes to secure his spot in the third round.

Nadal came out firing a dazzling array of shots that had Paire racing around the blue hard court from the outset and even desperately launching his racquet on one occasion in a failed attempt at a return that gave the Spaniard a 5-2 lead.

Nadal was made to work harder in the second where the players exchanged breaks over six consecutive games before the world number one finally held in the ninth to seal the match when Paire sent a service return wide.

"Of course I was not at 100 percent today," Nadal, 32, told reporters. "It's true that with my serve in the second set I had some troubles but my return was working well ... it was more about the mistakes from the baseline in my opinion."

Nadal will face Stan Wawrinka in the round of 16 after the Swiss rallied to beat Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 1-6 7-6(2) 7-6(10).

In earlier action, a solid-serving Novak Djokovic kept his bid for a fifth Rogers Cup title alive with a 6-3 6-4 win over Canadian wildcard Peter Polansky.

The ninth-seeded Serb, competing in his first tournament since his Wimbledon triumph last month, won a dominant 83 percent of his first service points and wrapped up the day's opening match minutes before the first of several rain delays.

"I thought I served well in the moments when I really need it and I was looking for the first serve," said Djokovic.

"I thought I found pretty good accuracy and angles with the first serve, and also my second serve worked pretty well. Overall my game was so-and-so. In the moments when I probably needed to step it up, I did."

Next up for Djokovic in the round of 16 is Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas, who upset Austrian seventh seed Dominic Thiem 6-3 7-6(6).

A win for Djokovic would set up a potential quarter-final clash with German second seed Alexander Zverev, who advanced to the third round after a 6-4 6-4 win over Bradley Klahn.

Also advancing to the third round were Wimbledon runner-up Kevin Anderson, fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov, sixth seed Marin Cilic, eighth seed John Isner, Dutchman Robin Haase and Russian Karen Khachanov, who upset Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busto 6-4 7-6(3).

(Editing by Peter Rutherford )

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Tennis: Fatigued Murray withdraws from Citi Open, Rogers Cup

Former world number one Andy Murray withdrew from the Citi Open on Friday, citing fatigue.

The returning Scot also announced his withdrawal from next week's Rogers Cup in Toronto.

He was to have met Australian Alex de Minaur in the Washington quarter-finals on Friday.

"I’m exhausted after playing so much over the past four days, having not competed on the hard courts for 18 months. I also need to be careful and to listen to my body as I come back from a long-term injury," Murray said in a statement.

"I’m gutted not to be playing and I’d like to thank the tournament and all the fans.

"There are lots of positives to take from this week, so I’ll take some time to rest and recover, and then head to Cincinnati early to prepare and get ready."

In his third tournament back from hip surgery in January, the Scot showed signs of improvement, reaching his first quarter-final in more than a year.

The 31-year-old captured all three of his victories in three sets, the first time he has won three consecutive deciding sets at the same event since winning the 2016 Queen's Club tournament.

An emotional Murray broke down in tears after coming from behind to defeat Marius Copil 6-7(5) 6-3 7-6(4) in a marathon third round match that lasted more than three hours on Thursday.

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Federer stunned by Zverev in Montreal final

German fourth seed Alexander Zverev upset Roger Federer 6-3 6-4 in the Rogers Cup final in Montreal on Sunday to join the Swiss right-hander as the most trophy-laden player on the ATP Tour this year with five titles.

The 20-year-old German, who arrived in Montreal fresh from his triumph in Washington, proved up for the task right out of the gate as he had the Swiss second seed on his heels from the start on a sunny afternoon.


Zverev was poised and aggressive off the ground to create space for his power game and displayed some short-angled winners off thumping forehands and backhands to grab an early break for a 3-1 lead. He consolidated for a 4-1 cushion and ultimately closed out the opening set after a mere 30 minutes.

Federer, who entered the match 5-0 in finals this year, started to find his groove early in the second set but suddenly appeared out of sorts while Zverev broke in the seventh game to pull ahead 4-3 and held on for a surprise win that took 68 minutes.

The victory over the 19-times grand slam champion was the second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the season for Zverev, who also beat Novak Djokovic in Rome.

"This one against Roger is something so special for me because he was always a great idol growing up for me," Zverev said during his trophy presentation. "The greatest player of all time, beating him in a final, not just any final but in the final of a Masters 1000, is amazing."

The win improved Zverev to 5-1 in finals this year with the only defeat coming at the hands of Federer at Halle.

Federer spent six months on the sidelines in the second half of last season but has returned to his very best this year by winning five titles, including a pair of grand slams at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

He seemed ready to shift momentum early in the second set when he earned a trio of break points but Zverev saved them all in dominant fashion to hold for 1-1.

Zverev then grabbed the decisive break in the seventh game to pull ahead 4-3 before cruising to the finish line.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Clare Fallon)

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Federer beats Haase, meets Zverev in Montreal final

Roger Federer used a dominant service game to beat Dutchman Robin Haase 6-3 7-6(5) in Montreal on Saturday, setting up a Rogers Cup final against German Alexander Zverev.

Haase, playing in his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final, did well to force a second-set tiebreak but Federer proved too much to handle as the Swiss fired down nine aces and dropped only nine points on serve.

Federer, whose five titles this year include the Australian Open and Wimbledon, credited a positive mindset for helping him extend his winning streak to 16 matches.

"Confidence can get you a long way, and if you're feeling fine physically and you are ready to fight mentally you have a lot of things in the bag," said the 19-times grand slam champion.

"And then the only thing that maybe is missing is practice, but sometimes practice is overrated. It's all about the matches at some stage.

"I'm happy I'm playing as well as I am this year on the match courts. At the end that's what matters because I spent hours and hours on the practice courts in the last year."

Next up for the Swiss right-hander, who is seeking his third Rogers Cup title after triumphs in Toronto in 2004 and 2006, is Zverev after the fourth seed advanced with a 6-4 7-5 win over Canada's Denis Shapovalov.

Federer owns a 2-1 edge against Zverev in head-to-head meetings, most recently a 6-1 6-3 win at Halle in June.

Zverev ended Shapovalov's magical week on his third match point when the 18-year-old, who had been the story of the tournament after a stunning run that included an upset win over world number two Rafael Nadal, sent a backhand wide.

Shapovalov, who was born in Israel and moved to Canada before his first birthday, had a great chance at 4-3 in the second set but failed to convert on his three break points.

"I wasn't too sharp on the big points," said Shapovalov, who made headlines in February for inadvertently blasting a ball into an umpire's face in a fit of rage during a Davis Cup quarter-final.

"I had a couple looks at some second serves and I missed some returns. But at the end of the day he did a good job to make me play those points."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto,; Editing by Neville Dalton/Peter Rutherford)

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Williams dominates Vinci to reach Toronto semis

TORONTO, Canada - Three-time champion Serena Williams extended her Toronto match win streak to 14 with a 6-4, 6-3 dismantling of Italian Roberta Vinci in the quarter-finals of the WTA Rogers Cup on Friday.

The 33-year-old Williams powered her way past Vinci by blasting 12 aces in the 78-minute match on center court.

She moves on where she will face either Swiss Belinda Bencic or former world number one and fifth seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the semi-finals at the hardcourt warm-up event for the US Open, the year's final Grand Slam tournament that begins August 31.

Williams could win her fifth Grand Slam title in a row and complete a calendar year Grand Slam by defending her US Open crown. That would also give her 22 Grand Slam singles titles, matching Steffi Graf for the most in the Open era.

The world number one Williams won in Toronto in her last two appearances in 2011 and 2013. She pulled out of the Stanford tournament last week with an elbow injury.

Williams won 76 percent of her first serve points and saved five of six break points on her serve.

Vinci, who reached the final of the Nurnberg tournament earlier this year, made four double faults and won just 40 percent of her second serve points. The world number 53 lost in the first round at Wimbledon and the French Open this year.

Romanian second seed Simona Halep advanced to the semi-finals by roaring back to defeat Polish sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 0-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Halep next will face Italy's Sara Errani, who defeated Ukraine qualifier Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 6-4 in another semi-final.

Radwanska won the first seven games of the match and looked in control.

But Halep battled to 3-3 in the second set and then seized command, winning eight games in a row to reach the brink of victory.

Radwanska held at love in the penultimate game but Halep matched her in the concluder to claim her 300th career singles victory after one hour and 40 minutes on the court.

"It was a tough match," Halep said. "She played an amazing first set. I couldn't move my legs first set. I made many mistakes," she said.

"But I kept my concentration and a changed a few things and was able to come back."

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Djokovic advances to cheers, Kyrgios exits to boos

MONTREAL - World number one Novak Djokovic, second seed Andy Murray and three-time champion Rafa Nadal were all cheered into the quarter-finals of the Rogers Cup on Thursday while controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios exited to boos and a hefty fine.

Djokovic, also a three time winner on the Canadian hardcourts, needed only 54 minutes to complete a 6-2 6-1 demolition of American Jack Sock while Murray was equally economic in disposing of Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 6-3 6-2 in just over an hour.

Nadal, finding his hardcourt footing coming off a clay court win in Hamburg, produced a snappy 6-3 6-3 victory over Russian qualifier Mikhail Youzhny as Japanese fourth seed Kei Nishikori rolled to a 6-4 6-4 win over 13th seed David Goffin.

While there were plenty of cheers in be heard across the Montreal tennis complex on Thursday few were for Kyrgios who entered his match to boos and exited the same way after falling 7-5 6-3 to big-hitting American John Isner.

The Australian had insulted Swiss opponent Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday during their second round encounter.

Prior to the match the ATP had fined Kyrgios $10,000, the maximum penalty available, for remarks directed at Wawrinka about his girlfriend picked up by a courtside microphone.

With Isner serving for the match there were more boos for Kyrgios who lost his cool again engaging in a heated exchange with a spectator yelling "You're so tough man, so tough".

It was all calm on centre court where Djokovic got off to a sluggish start but after breaking to go up 3-2 the 28-year-old Serb was in complete control with the Sock managing just a single break chance, which he was unable to convert.

"At the beginning of the match I think we were both a bit rusty," said Djokovic. "But I just managed to make the crucial break. That was the turning point, going up 3-2 in the first set. Then I was in control."

Djokovic continues to dominate at the ATP Tour's biggest events, running his Masters 1000 winning streak to 28 matches.

Coming off an opening match loss in Washington last week, Murray has also finding his footing on the Canadian hardcourts advancing to the final eight in singles but crashed out later in the doubles losing to his brother Jamie.

The doubles match won by Jamie Murray and Australian John Peers 6-4 7-6(9) marked the first time the two Murray's played against each other as professionals.

"It's not ideal, not a situation I want to be in all of the time," Andy told reporters.

"Doubles is Jamie's career. I support him every single week." (Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto.; Editing by Larry Fine)

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Tsonga caps week of upsets with Rogers title

TORONTO - Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had one more surprise in his bag of upsets, beating second seeded Roger Federer 7-5 7-6 (3) to cap a scintillating march to the Rogers Cup title on Sunday.

After knocking off world number one Novak Djokovic in the third round, taking out twice champion and eighth seed Andy Murray in the quarters and seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov in the semis, Tsonga denied 17-time grand slam winner Federer a landmark 80th career title.

"I played well all this week, I beat many good guys," said Tsonga. "It's a big achievement because I worked really hard to come back from my knee injury last year.

"Unfortunately there is no secret...behind this there is a lot of work.

"I'm waiting for this since couple of months now. I was looking for my best level, today I had it and it's great."

Certainly there was no disputing that Tsonga's win was well-deserved, the 13th seeded Frenchman's hit list including players who had won seven of the last 10 Canadian titles (Djokovic 2012, 2011, 2007; Murray 2010, 2009 and Federer 2004, 2006).

It marked the first time since 2002 that a player had beaten the four top seeds to win a Masters series event.

"He beat great players along the way and backed it up with another great final," said Federer, who turned 33 on Friday and had been hoping to celebrate his birthday by lifting the trophy. "No excuses. I think he played really solid and well when he had to.

"I wish I could have played a bit better in the finals today.

"There were things I could have done better, but, overall it was a positive week.

"I go away from this feeling good about my chances next week and also at the U.S. Open."

In 16 career meetings Tsonga had beaten the Swiss maestro just five times but three came on the Canadian hard courts.

With Federer appearing in his fifth Canadian final and Tsonga having advanced to at least the semi-finals in three of his four trips to Canada, both men had a cool look of confidence as they walked onto a blazing hot centre court.

In a week of superb performances, Tsonga may have saved his best for last, the second seeded Swiss unable to manage a single break chance the entire match.

Federer did not allow Tsonga many break opportunities himself but the one he did, in the first set, was all the Frenchman needed converting the chance to clinch the set and a 1-0 lead.

Play remained tight in the second with no break points, the set going to a tie-break won by Tsonga, who took four straight points after the breaker had been deadlocked at 3-3

"What is achieved is achieved and I will just continue on this way, continue to work hard," said Tsonga, when asked about his U.S. Open chances. "This win gives me a lot of hope for the rest of the year, of course.

"But I will continue to do my work like I did last couple of months and I hope I will continue to win."

(Editing by Gene Cherry)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Honeymoon over as Djokovic works for win

TORONTO - Gael Monfils let Novak Djokovic know his honeymoon was over and it was time to get back to work by forcing the world number one to battle for a 6-2 6-7 (4) 7-6 (2) second round win at the Rogers Cup on Wednesday.

Playing his first match as a married man, Djokovic, a three-time winner in Canada, needed two hours, 41 minutes and a third set tie-break to subdue the Frenchman and extend his perfect record over the feisty Monfils to 10-0.

"Well, it's a first and last time I hope I'm getting married, and of course it is different circumstances that I'm in," laughed Djokovic, who was married after claiming his seventh grand slam title at Wimbledon.

"But it's been many years already that I have been on the professional tour and with the same team of people around me who are experts in their fields ... and they are making sure I'm in the right frame of mind and in the right zone."

Since losing in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, Djokovic had reached at least the semi-finals in all seven tournaments since, winning at Indian Wells, Miami, Rome and on the grass at Wimbledon where he reclaimed the top ranking.

But Monfils looked determined to end that run breaking Djokovic twice in the opening set and sweeping the last four games for a 1-0 lead.

Monfils continued to press Djokovic in the second and in two consecutive service games was within two points of ending his winless drought against the Serb.

In the third, the Frenchman again went up a break but Djokovic would immediately break back forcing the set to a tie-break which he easily won.

"Gael is Gael, that's what he does," said Djokovic.

"He loves jumping around, sliding, he's very unpredictable. You don't know what his next move is, so that's why he's so interesting.

"I said before that he's probably the only guy in the world, tennis player, that I would pay a ticket to watch the match.

"He's really fun to watch but not so much fun to play against."

SMOOTH START

Briton Andy Murray, twice a winner of the Canadian crown, got his North American hard court campaign off to a much smoother start with a 6-2 6-2 win over Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios.

Seeing his first action since a quarter-final loss at Wimbledon, Murray looked confident and sharp, disposing of his 19-year-old opponent in 54 minutes on a sunny centre court under the watchful eye of new coach Amelie Mauresmo.

After lifting the title in 2009 and 2010, Murray had to be wary of Kyrgios, who caught the world's attention when he knocked out world number one Rafa Nadal and number 14 Richard Gasquet on an unlikely march into the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

The young Australian, however, never threatened Murray and the eighth-seeded Briton was in control from the start, serving up seven aces, committing just 11 unforced errors and never facing a break point.

After a difficult 12 months during which he underwent back surgery and a coaching change, Murray's performance provided a small boost heading towards the U.S. Open and the year's final grand slam which begins on Aug. 25 at Flushing Meadows.

"I thought I did most things like pretty solid," Murray told reporters. "I didn't make too many errors. I moved well. High first-serve percentage.

"It was a solid match for a first match back after sort of four and a half, five weeks."

Fifth seeded Spaniard David Ferrer was made to fight for his place in the third round battling to a 6-4 2-6 6-1 win over American qualifier Michael Russell while 12th seed Gasquet rallied past Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 5-7 7-6 (5) 6-3.

Thirteenth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came out on top in an all-French battle beating Jeremy Chardy to reach the third round where he was joined by compatriot Julien Benneteau, who advanced with a 7-6 (4) 6-3 upset of 11th seeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis. (Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com