Mason

Top-ranked Roger Federer reached another measure of tennis greatness on Sunday, winning his 50th tournament title by beating James Blake 6-1, 6-4 in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters final. The 26-year-old Swiss star became the fifth-youngest player in history to reach 50, and only the ninth overall in the open era to win at least 50 tournaments.

Rafael Nadal lost to fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals on Friday, leaving the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters without its top two players. Top-ranked Roger Federer’s 55-match winning streak in North America ended on Wednesday with a loss to Britain’s Andy Murray.

Roger Federer was the only one who saw it coming: too much tennis, too little time off. The world’s top player knew it was the perfect combination for a long-awaited upset, one that a disbelieving British teenager pulled off on Wednesday. Andy Murray’s victory ended Federer’s 55-match winning streak in North America.

Roger Federer won his 22nd straight final on Sunday, beating Andy Roddick 6-3, 7-5 for the Cincinnati Masters title and his ninth overall victory this season. Federer improved to 10-1 against Roddick, who tried every tactic but still came up short. Federer has won the past six times they’ve met, including the past two Wimbledon finals.

Rafael Nadal’s 16-match winning streak ended when the 19-year-old Spaniard was beaten on Tuesday night in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters by a less-celebrated teenager. Tomas Berdych wore down the second-seeded Nadal in a two-hour, 57-minute match. Lleyton Hewitt played in his first match in the tournament.