The amaranthine summer of contentment for Roger Federer showed no sign of abatement today as the new father of twin girls won the Cincinnati Masters event (the oldest tournament in America, this year being the 111th edition), defeating a sluggish Novak Djokovic 6-1, 7-5 on an unusually cool Ohio afternoon. And with his victory Federer established himself as at least a co-favorite heading into the US Open which starts next Monday.

But The Roger isn't the only one who should feel at least somewhat satisfied by the on court happenings this past week. The rest of the Big Four - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Djokovic - all displayed solid form and this bodes well for the Open. As it looks now with the Big Four - Plus Two (Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro) nearing peak form, it'd be surprising if it isn't be the most intensely contested fortnight in New York in many years.

Rafael Nadal's 10 week absence from the tour - caused by stubborn tendinitis that may prove to be a most unwanted and constant companion to the Spanish superstar throughout his career - interrupted the extraordinary rivalry and momentum that he and Federer have built up these last four years. But the good news is that Rafa, slowly but surely, showcased his usual form. He defeated three opponents without losing a set and saw his play improve with each match before being disposed of by Djokovic in the semifinals. Most importantly the incredible foot speed and movement around the court did not appear to be an issue for his suspect knees. The only question to be answered in Gotham for the Man From Mallorca is whether two tournaments are enough of a preparation for the US Open - the only Grand Slam event he hasn't excelled in. There is no greater competitor in tennis and any event is lacking when Nadal isn't at 100%.

For Federer, though he regained his number one standing after Wimbledon, there were doubts about his ability to defeat those ranked immediately below him. Coming into Cincinnait, Federer had a combined career record against Nadal, Murray and Djokovic of 18-23, with a weak 1-5 mark for 2009. So the fact that he beat Murray, who had defeated Federer four consecutive times, and then Djokovic in the same event was huge. This marked the first time Roger had beaten two players in the top four in the same event since the US Open in 2007 (to put that in perspective, Nadal has managed this feat on five occasions within the same time span).

Though Andy Murray was soundly beaten by Federer in the semifinals, he is nonetheless very pleased with where he stands. He won in Canada the week prior and with that win, the Scotsman surpassed Rafael Nadal as the number two player in the world. Now, obviously, Nadal's injury aided Murray's elevation in the standings but nonetheless, the moody and supremely talented hope of Great Britain has put together a superlative year, especially on hard courts. The only thing missing is a Grand Slam title and many are predicting he will finally attain it in Flushing.

Perhaps there is no more curious a case than Novak Djokovic. When the Serb won the Australian Open in 2008, after defeating Federer in the semifinals, many thought that he in fact, not Nadal, would be the one to usurp the title of tennis supremacy away from Federer. But since that great triumph, Djokovic has been a mystery - inconsistent play, frequent withdrawal from matches due to lack of conditioning or illness, switching racquets, etc. But he too exorcised some demons in Cincinnati - mainly he beat Nadal. Nadal had taken 14 of their 18 meetings prior to the semifinal, including five in a row. And Novak's victory over Rafa was the best tennis the outgoing Djokovic has shown all year. And the ridiculous scheduling of his semifinal match Saturday night - little more than 12 hours before the noon-time final on Sunday - may have been a major factor for Djokovic's less than stellar play in the final against Roger.

And then there's Roddick and Del Potro. Since his utterly crushing loss to Federer in that epic Wimbledon final, Roddick has been playing well. He lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in the finals of Washington and the semifinals in Canada before losing his first match to up-and-coming American Sam Querrey in Cincinnati. One has a sense that the schedulers at the US Open will make Roddick the mainstay of the evening sessions. There's no place he'll be more loved or appreciated than his beloved US Open.

Del Potro is another frustrating case. He is on the cusp of cracking the top four. He's done increasingly well in the Slams as his showing in Paris - where he had a two sets to one lead on Federer in the semifinals on the verge of winning - showed. He's dominated smaller events like Washington. But he's also had some mystifying performances like losing in the second round at Wimbledon. And he also has a fitness issue - he had to withdraw from Cincinnati due to fatigue. But with that being said, there is no better or more powerful striker of the ball from the baseline than the Argentine.

With the top six men being so competitive heading into the Open the first crucial predictor for the event will be the draw ceremony, held Thursday morning. There will be two unlucky players in that top four who will have the misfortune of seeing either Roddick or Del Potro in their quarter of the draw. This will make the task of triumphing in New York that much more difficult, dare I say impossible.

NOTES: Once again ESPN treated tennis fans with utter contempt this past week. Both of Nadal's night matches - his quarterfinal against Tomas Berdych and his semi with Djokovic - were show on tape delay as Little League baseball was deemed more deserving of the attention. And since it's impossible to keep away from scores while watching other sports, I decided not to watch the Giants-Rockies baseball game for fear that the outcome of the match might be displayed on the ticker. In this age, there's no reason to broadcast a sporting event unless it's live.