Roger Federer laid down a marker ahead of the US Open as he cruised past Novak Djokovic to win the Cincinnati Masters with a 6-0 7-6 [9-7] victory over the world number two.

The Wimbledon champion was in scintillating form in the first set as he took just twenty minutes to bagel Djokovic, before the Serb responded in the second set as he looked to force a decider.

However, Federer prevailed in the second set tie-break to win the title for the fifth time and show his rivals that he remains in fantastic form as the final major of the year looms.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic
Djokovic congratulates Federer after the world number one wins 6-0 7-6 [Reuters]

The world number one broke Djokovic in the very first game of the match and was then helped by two double-faults to claim another break and move 3-0 up.

Djokovic was only able to win 10 points in the first set as a string of unforced errors allowed Federer to completely take control of the match as he never looked in trouble on his own serve.

The Australian open champion responded well in the second set as he managed to safely navigate his way through his own service games, but he was never able to worry the Federer serve.

The Swiss ace never faced a single break point and three consecutive points in the tie-break allowed to claim the victory and the title in just 80 minutes.

"I've had a magical summer," said the 31-year-old. "I feel good about New York - but I'm going to savour this one for a bit.

"I came here and never dropped my serve. That's the kind of reaction I want to see from myself. I didn't have a letdown.

"This was probably the best week ever here in Cincinnati for me never dropping my serve and beating Novak in the final. This was very sweet. No doubt about it."

Federer will now go in to the US Open, starting in one week, as a clear favourite as he seeks to win the tournament for the first time since 2008 and add a

New York