Federer earns milestone 50th

Fifty for Federer.

Top-ranked Roger Federer reached another measure of tennis greatness Sunday, winning his 50th tournament title by beating James Blake, 6-1, 6-4, in the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters at Mason, Ohio.

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 -- since 1968 -- to win so many tournaments.

Dressed in all-white on a muggy, 92-degree afternoon, Federer extended his mastery of the eighth-ranked Blake -- and all Americans, for that matter.

Federer improved to 7-0 against Blake, who has won only one of their 19 sets -- off a tiebreaker in the semifinals at the U.S. Open last year. Federer also has won 35 straight matches against Americans since he lost to Andy Roddick in the semifinals at Montreal on Aug. 9, 2003.

Blake was playing catch-up from the start. Federer served a pair of aces to open the match, then broke Blake’s serve in the next game to take control. Blake had three break chances in the fifth game of the opening set, which lasted 20 points and ended with Federer’s emphatic forehand volley.

Opponents rarely get such chances against Federer. Deflated, Blake was broken at 0-40 in the next game. Federer then served it out.

Bjorn Borg won his 50th title when he was 23 years, 7 months old. Jimmy Connors was four months older when he got to the mark. John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl were 25 when they did it.

Top-ranked Justine Henin defeated Jelena Jankovic, 7-6 (3), 7-5, at Toronto to win the Rogers Cup, her first tournament since losing in the semifinals at Wimbledon.

Henin has won all seven meetings against the third-ranked Jankovic.

Jankovic had a 4-1 lead in the opening set before Henin pulled even, eventually winning in a tiebreaker.

Henin kept up her strong play in the second set, winning her sixth title of the season in the warm-up to the U.S. Open.

Henin was bothered by a sore right shoulder and wasn’t sure she would be able to play until a few hours before the match. She needed massage treatment after her semifinal and again Sunday morning. Henin finally declared herself ready after hitting some balls at a morning practice session.

Donald Young won his first ATP Tour match and fifth-seeded Patty Schnyder was upset in the first round of the Pilot Pen at New Haven, Conn.

Young defeated fellow American Amer Delic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“I’m just relieved,” said Young, an 18-year-old from Atlanta who won the Wimbledon juniors title last month. “This is my 12th match and the first one that I’ve won.”

Francesca Schiavone upset Schnyder, 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4.

Young, granted a wild card for the U.S. Open, will face top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko in the second round.

In other matches, Robby Ginepri beat Nicolas Massu, 7-6 (1), 6-4, and Mardy Fish beat Florian Mayer, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

In the women’s draw, Vania King defeated Tathiana Garbin, 6-4, 6-4.