MASON, Ohio – When Roger Federer reaches a tournament final, he doesn’t lose. Nobody knows that better than Andy Roddick.

The unflappable Federer won his 22nd straight final yesterday, beating the exasperated American 6-3, 7-5 for the Cincinnati Masters championship and his ninth overall title this season.

Federer improved to 10-1 against Roddick, who tried every tactic but still came up short. Federer has won the last six times they’ve met, including the last two Wimbledon finals.

The world’s top-ranked player for the last 81 weeks, Federer heads into the U.S. Open fit, relaxed, and on a roll. He took time off after winning his third straight Wimbledon, looking to recharge and rest a sore foot. He needed only one week of matches to get back in form.

“Today I got the feeling occasionally that this is great tennis again,” Federer said.

Roddick has a new worry with only one week left before the U.S. Open.

His right foot started bothering him late in the final set, and he needed a timeout before the last game to get treatment. Roddick winced, groaned, and covered his face with a towel while a trainer stretched and rubbed the bottom of the foot.

He returned and moved gingerly, getting only two points while Federer broke his serve to close it out. Federer got $400,000 for the win, Roddick received $200,000 for finishing second.

Roddick isn’t sure whether the foot will be a lingering problem.

“It’s still too early,” Roddick said. “I’m probably going to take a couple of days off. The thing that makes me a little optimistic is it didn’t happen on one movement. I didn’t hear anything click, I didn’t hear anything snap.”

Federer’s tour dominance is captured by remarkable numbers – a 54-3 match record this season and 138-9 the last two years with 20 titles; 28 straights wins on hard courts; an 18-match winning streak; and the seventh-longest uninterrupted stay atop the ATP list.

Perhaps the most amazing: those 22 straight wins in title matches, where he’s always at his best. He was again yesterday against a player he has bedeviled over the years.

Federer countered Roddick’s serve-and-volley strategy by hitting returns at his feet as he came to the net, leaving him in a bad spot. Roddick double-faulted to lose his serve and fall behind 3-2 in the opening set, then uttered a profanity as he left the court.

He knew he was in trouble already.

Federer kept the pressure on, making few mistakes and pouncing on every opening. He broke Roddick again to finish out the first set, a bad omen for the American. Roddick had lost only two games on his serve all week; now, he’d lost two in one set.

“I haven’t had an amazing serving day against him,” said Roddick, who had 11 aces and made a subpar 56% of his first serves. “I’ve played well against Roger from the baseline before, but I haven’t had that monster serving day. That’s what I’m looking for.”

By contrast, Federer won 14 consecutive points off his serve during one stretch. The streak ended when Roddick broke him with a backhand passing shot to go up 3-2 in the second set.

“Then Roger started being Roger again,” Roddick lamented.

An energized Federer broke him right back. In a telling moment, Roddick hit a 125 mph first serve, and Federer shot it back down the line for a forehand winner that set up the break point and put him in line for the victory.

***

Kim Clijsters got a big boost heading into the U.S. Open, defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne 7-5, 6-1 yesterday in an all-Belgian final at the Rogers Cup.

Clijsters made another strong showing on hardcourts. She has won five of her WTA-leading six titles in 2005 on the surface, and will try to capture her first Grand Slam championship at the U.S. Open.

The final between two of the world’s best players added some intrigue to a tournament hit by injuries – five of the top eight seeded players, including Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, withdrew. But Clijsters outplayed her opponent from the start.

Henin-Hardenne couldn’t find her rhythm, struggling with her serve and spraying balls long, wide, and even into the crowd. The four-time Grand Slam winner didn’t hit a winner until the seventh game of the first set when she broke Clijsters to tie it 4-4.

Clijsters soon broke back to take the set. Henin-Hardenne double-faulted on break point to give Clijsters a 3-1 lead in the second set. The rest of the set belonged to Clijsters.