Djokovic beats Fish to lay hands on Rogers Cup in Montreal

MONTREAL — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic beat Mardy Fish 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Rogers Cup on Sunday for his ninth tournament title of the year and record fifth in a season in an ATP Masters event.

Djokovic, the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, is now 29-0 this year on hard courts and 53-1 overall. He also won the Rogers Cup in 2007.

"I am human — I can definitely assure you of that," the 24-year-old Serb said. "I guess it's just all about having a positive attitude on the court every day, waking up every day wanting to improve, wanting to win, being determined, being professional. It's that desire and motivation that keeps me going. Every match I play, I try to win, regardless which match it is or whoever is across the net."

The sixth-seeded Fish was the only player to win a set against Djokovic this week.

Fish has lost all seven career meetings with Djokovic, but gave the top seed a battle with his mix of baseline and attacking play.

"I put myself in a lot of positions to have chances," Fish said. "I just didn't execute on the big points. There's a reason why (Djokovic) has won so many matches this year. He's got to be leading the tour in break points saved, I'm sure, among other things. Those are huge."

Djokovic, who played night matches this week, looked uncomfortable from the outset in the afternoon match and needed to save six break points to get through the opening set.

He saved his eighth of the match before Fish finally broke him with a perfect forehand down the line to take a 3-2 lead in the second set. Djokovic looked lost as he was broken again to close out the set.

But Djokovic was near-perfect on his service in the final set, although he needed four break points, one of which he challenged a call and lost, before finally putting away Fish.

"It was a close match, for sure," Djokovic said. "A couple of points, one good return game in the third set, decided the winner. But it's a final. I knew that he is not going to give me the match and the win. I knew that I have to fight for it. Up to the last moment, you didn't really know who is going to win. But I believed I could do it. I had composure when I needed to. I think that was decisive."

Djokovic was playing his first event since winning Wimbledon, while Fish has been the hottest player of the hard-court season leading to the U.S. Open later this month. He has reached finals in three straight tournaments in the last month, winning in Atlanta.

Toronto AP

Eight weeks into her comeback, Serena Williams captured the Rogers Cup in commanding fashion Sunday, dispatching 10th-seed Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-4, 6-2 for her first Canadian crown since 2001.

The victory was just the latest step in a remarkable comeback from injury and illness that has seen her win two of the four tournaments she's played since being sidelined for 49 weeks.

"Being down the way I've been down and coming back, it was cool. Eight months ago if there was only one tournament I wanted to win, it was Toronto," Williams said. "For whatever reason, I really wanted to win this event. So seeing it come true is really cool. Just going through so much and being able to win is even more amazing."

Williams, who has 38 titles to her name including 13 Grand Slams, was sidelined just days after her Wimbledon victory last summer, first with a foot injury sustained when she stepped on a piece of glass in a restaurant in Germany, and then with blood clots in her lungs.

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