Federer topples Tsonga for second straight title

Paris, France – Roger Federer's late-season resurgence set win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final of the Paris Masters.

Federer, coming off last week's win in his native Basel, rolled through the first set en route to a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) triumph for his first Paris Masters crown and his 69th career title. Prior to last week's triumph, Federer hadn't won a tournament since the season-opener in Doha.

The 16-time Grand Slam champ improved to 3-2 in finals this year and will carry a 12-match winning streak into the ATP World Tour Finals, which open next Sunday in London. He also won a pair of Davis Cup matches in addition to his ATP streak of 10 match victories.

Federer and Tsonga met for the sixth time this year, and the Swiss star shook off a slightly slow start before taking complete control. Federer saved a pair of break points in his opening service game and won the first five games of the match before closing out the first set in a mere 30 minutes.

Tsonga, the 2008 Paris Masters champ, regrouped and played a solid second set, which went without a break. The tiebreak, however, was all Federer. He won the first four points and opened a 6-1 lead before finally ending it on his third match point.

Federer improved to 6-3 lifetime against Tsonga, including 4-2 this year. The Frenchman, however, had one of his biggest career wins with a comeback from two sets down in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Federer gained a measure of revenge with a straight-set quarterfinal win at the U.S. Open.

It's been a banner week for Federer, who became the seventh male player in the Open Era (1968) to win 800 matches. He now has 802 wins and notched his 18th career Masters title on Sunday, breaking a tie with Andre Agassi for second all-time. Only Rafael Nadal has more with 19.

Federer improved to 69-30 all-time in title matches. The only Masters final he had not previously reached was this one.

Tsonga, who saved three match points to beat American John Isner in Saturday's semifinals, fell to 2-3 in finals this year and 7-4 lifetime. He lost in Rotterdam and at the Queen's Club before winning titles in Metz and Vienna.