Roger Federer's title wait ended on Sunday in
Vienna as the Swiss top seed romped to a straight-sets victory over Carlos
Moya.
The Wimbledon champion had been without a trophy since his triumph at the
All-England Club in July, and he had not competed between the US Open and this
tournament.
But Federer has been back to his best at the CA Tennis Trophy and he
ruthlessly despatched Spaniard Moya, the second seed, by a 6-3 6-3 6-3 margin,
to defend the title he won in 2002.
With the Masters Cup on the horizon, Federer is looking in great shape, and he
will travel to Madrid now to contest the Spanish capital's Masters Series
event.
This was Federer's sixth title of what has been a season in which he has
backed up early-career promise with consistent results, and his latest success
earned him £91,000.
He was always too strong for Moya, and extended his record indoors this season
to 17 wins from 18 matches.
However, there was some consolation for the runner-up - aside from the £48,000
he earned.
With his success in reaching the final this week, Moya has improved his
chances of featuring in the Masters Cup at Houston, which takes place next
month.
He has strengthened his grip on seventh place in the Champions Race and leads
eighth-placed David Nalbandian of Argentina by 63 ranking points.
The top six players have already assured themselves of qualification to the
lucrative end-of-season tournament which is the final event on the ATP
calendar.
Both Federer and Moya have first-round byes in Madrid.
Federer, who also won the doubles at Vienna, said of his singles success:
"I'm so happy. It feels great, I really wanted to defend this title.
"It was a solid match from start to finish. Carlos didn't have his best day
and I think I really forced him to miss some shots. It was important that he
couldn't dominate from the back of the court. To win the first set was very
important.
"I think it's important that you come back and try to defend your title and
it worked out. This is what I was looking for, a good start to the indoor
season.
"I had a great finish last year, I was fighting to get to the Tennis Masters
Cup in Shanghai. This year I'm much more relaxed winning titles on all
surfaces."
Having won his first grand slam at Wimbledon, Federer is now looking to finish
2003 with a flourish.
He is locked in a three-way battle with Andy Roddick and Juan Carlos Ferrero
to finish atop the rankings.
"This whole year has been a dream and I still have a chance to be number
one," he added.
"If I don't make it this year it's okay, then I'll try to make it in the
beginning of next year.
"I just want to end the year with a good indoor season and it has started
great."
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