Federer crushes Zverev to clinch ninth Halle title

Swiss maestro Roger Federer on Sunday came out with a ruthless performance against Alexander Zverev in straight sets to win the men's singles title of the Gerry Weber Open.

Federer defeated fourth seeded Zverev 6-1, 6-3 in the summit clash that lasted less than an hour.

20-year-old Zverev, who had defeated Federer in last year's semi-final, was no match for the Swiss.

The 35-year-old, who had a surprise first-round exit at Stuttgart, was in a superb form as he didn't even lose a set in the entire tournament.

This was the ninth Halle title win for the 18-time Grand Slam champion.

The world number five is among the favourites going into Wimbledon which starts July 2 after sitting out the French Open earlier this month to fine-tune his game.

Federer won the Australian Open - his first Grand Slam success in five years - in January despite not playing in the previous six months. He then claimed the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March and, two weeks later, the Miami Open.