Federer Wins Rogers Masters to Extend North American Hard Court Winning Streak to 54 Matches
Sharapova Overtakes Clijsters in Standings with Semifinal Run at JPMorgan Chase Open
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| Roger Federer is in the lead in the men's US Open Series Standings after winning the Rogers Masters in Toronto© Matthew Stockman/Getty Images |
Roger Federer moved into first place in the US Open Series Sunday with his victory at the Rogers Masters, extending his North American hard court winning streak to 54 matches. With a three-set win over France’s Richard Gasquet (2-6, 6-3, 6-2) in the final, Federer picked up 100 points and moved into first in the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge ahead of Andy Murray.
On the women’s side, Russia’s Elena Dementieva captured the JPMorgan Chase Open with a three-set win over Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic (6-3, 4-6, 6-4). Dementieva’s win moved her into fourth in the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge. Maria Sharapova’s semifinal showing this week, combined with her victory at the Acura Classic in Week Three, moved her into first in the Series – two points ahead of Kim Clijsters.
The men's and women's winners of the US Open Series will compete for $1 million in bonus prize money at the 2006 US Open. The US Open Series leaders after Week Four are:
Next on the US Open Series: The US Open Series continues this week with Week Five. The men are competing in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, while the women head north to Montreal for the Rogers Cup. ESPN2 will provide daily live coverage this week from Cincinnati starting with first round action on Monday from 3:00-5:00 p.m. ET. The men's final will air at 1 p.m. ET Sunday followed by the women's final at 3 p.m.
The US Open Series is the six-week summer tennis season linking 10 major ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments to the US Open. Since its inception in 2004, the six-week US Open Series has doubled television viewership and increased attendance, while generating new corporate partnerships for the sport. Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters were the winners of the 2005 US Open Series, with Clijsters doubling her prize money at the US Open to earn $2.2 million, the largest purse in women’s sports history. US Open Series sponsors include American Express, Lever 2000, MassMutual Financial Group and Olympus.