Page 19 - ARUBA TODAY

A19
SPORTS Monday 19 august 2019
Madison Keys, Daniil Medvedev get 1st titles in Cincy

By JOE KAY a seven-month recovery Nadal won the Rogers Cup
AP Sports Writer from a knee injury. In her last Sunday and withdrew
MASON, Ohio (AP) — Two ninth tournament of the from the Western & South-
unexpected champions season, she got her game ern, citing fatigue. Murray
embraced their first Rook- together and got her best played singles for the first
wood championship tro- result in two years. time since hip surgery in
phies, concluding a week "Honestly, I didn't expect to January and lost his open-
that brought more ques- be so good at this tourna- ing match. Seven-time
tions than clarity to the up- ment," she said. champion Federer was
coming U.S. Open. After what happened in knocked out in the quarter-
Who's going to be healthy Cincinnati during the week, finals, and Djokovic lost to
on the women's side? nobody knows what to ex- Medvedev in the semifinals
Will stumbles in the men's pect in the women's brack- with the crowd cheering
bracket at the Western & et in New York. him on.
Southern Open carry over Serena Williams dropped The Russian thanked the
to New York? out of Cincinnati because Madison Keys, of the United States, holds the Rookwood Cup after crowd for its support after
And are Madison Keys and of back spasms that also defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova, of Russia, in the women's final beat David Goffin 7-6 (3),
Daniil Medvedev capable forced her to withdraw match during the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament 6-4 for his first Masters 1000
of carrying their newfound from the final in Toronto. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019, in Mason, Ohio. title Sunday. It was his third
momentum into a Grand Naomi Osaka, the defend- Associated Press straight final, but the first
Slam event? After win- ing U.S. Open champion, New York. Djokovic, Roger Federer, time he'd won. Medvedev
ning the biggest tourna- withdrew from her semifi- There's some intrigue on the Rafael Nadal and Andy lost to Nadal on Montreal a
ment title of their careers, nal match on Friday with men's side, too. Murray back together for week earlier, then went on
they were already getting discomfort in her left knee The bracket in Cincinnati the first time since January. to reach his sixth final of this
asked about how it might that left her worried about was billed as a reunion None of them made it to season, most on the ATP
transfer to the bigger her condition heading to of the Big Four — Novak the final. tour. He's won twice.q
stage.
Keys rallied late in both
sets and beat Svetlana
Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (5) Sun-
day for her second title of
the season and easily the
biggest of her career. After
flameouts in her last three
tournaments and a tough
draw for the week, she
couldn't imagine the out-
come.
Back on the court to re-
ceive the trophy , she told
the crowd: "If you told me
this is where I would be a
week ago, I would have
laughed in your face!"
Yet there she was, back in
the Top 10 on a surprising
upswing heading to New
York.
She'll move up to the No.
10 ranking after a gritty
showing that was typical
of her week. She broke
Kuznetsova to pull even in
both sets at 5-5 and then
pulled them out with a
steady serve.
"It's definitely a great build-
ing block," Keys said. "I
want to do well in New
York and have a good end
to the season."
At 34, Kuznetsova was the
oldest finalist in the West-
ern & Southern Open's his-
tory. She beat three top-10
players in a tournament —
Sloane Stephens, Karolina
Pliskova and Ashleigh Barty
— for the first time in her 19-
year career.
The 153rd-ranked player
got a late start on the
season as she completed