Federer wins Nadal thriller to clinch 18th Slam

kit-sports editor — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 07:25:33 +0000

Roger Federer was in tears as he won a thrilling, five-set Australian Open final against his great rival Roger Federer to clinch a record-extending 18th Grand Slam title on Sunday.

Federer won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in three hours 38 minutes on Rod Laver Arena to move four major titles ahead of Nadal and Pete Sampras on the all-time winners’ list.

The Swiss marvel also became the oldest man in the post-1968 Open era to win a major final since Australia’s Ken Rosewall at the 1972 Australian Open. It was Federer’s fifth Australian title in his sixth final, and ended a long, seven-year wait to win again in Melbourne after his 2010 triumph over Andy Murray.

It was the 35th meeting between the two great rivals with Nadal now leading 23-12 and 6-3 in major finals, including his five-set win over Federer in the 2009 Australian final.

Roger Federer celebrates with the championship trophy during the awards ceremony after his victory over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open men’s singles final at Melbourne Park on Sunday. AFP

Federer, playing with a flatter backhand than normal, took the match to Nadal and got the only service break to take the opening set.

Nadal fought back with two breaks to level before Federer got the bit between his teeth with a double break in the third set.

The Spaniard hit back in the fourth set with a service break in the fourth game to take the final into a fifth set.

He again broke the Swiss early in the final set but Federer rose to the occasion and broke Nadal twice to win a classic encounter as he served out for a strong win, jumping for joy as he did so and quickly tearing up.

Federer also becomes the first man in history to win five or more titles at three different Grand Slam events. He has won five Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, five US Opens and one French Open.

Men’s final, as it happened

Set-by-set breakdown of the Australian Open men’s final, after Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on Sunday:

Set 1 – Federer 6-4, 34 minutes

In a tense atmosphere at Rod Laver Arena, the final goes with serve until game seven, when a Federer volley sets up two break points and he breaks as Nadal fires a backhand wide. It’s all Federer needs to take a one-set lead as he serves it out, sealing the set with an ace.

Set 2 – Nadal 6-3, 42 minutes

Nadal puts Federer under pressure in his first service game and his one-handed backhand cracks under the pressure of the Spaniard’s heavy forehands, as he nets when facing his second break point. Federer then works two break-back points in Nadal’s next service game, but he miscues with his forehand each time. Another forehand error hands Nadal the double break and despite Federer getting a break back, Nadal levels the match on another mistake from the Swiss’s forehand.

Set 3 – Federer 6-1, 41 minutes

Federer produces three aces to stave off three break points in a 10-minute opening game, and he immediately makes Nadal pay when he breaks him in the next game. Nadal saves more break points at 0-3 down but he is broken again for 1-5 when Federer creams a superb backhand return winner. Federer, when serving for the set, faces down a break point with a service winner before he grabs a 2-1 sets lead with a cool backhand volley.

Set 4 – Nadal 6-3, 40 minutes

Nadal comes roaring back and he breaks Federer in game four when the Swiss puts a backhand volley into the net. The Spaniard holds brilliantly in the fourth game when he retrieves a deep Federer backhand and flicks it back for a crosscourt winner that draws applause from his opponent. Federer aces twice to see off another break point and hold for 2-4 down, but the set is Nadal’s and he converts the first of three set points to force the decider.

Set 5 – Federer 6-3, 61 minutes

Federer returns from a medical time-out and he’s immediately broken to go 0-1 down when he sprays a forehand wide. Nadal fights off three break points in the next game and he moves to 2-1 up before Federer has treatment to his right thigh at the changeover. Nadal produces a big backhand winner to survive a break point in game four but Federer breaks back in the sixth when the Spaniard flashes a forehand narrowly wide. At 3-4 down, Nadal bravely saves four break points but on the fifth, Federer’s wide, sharply angled backhand return is too much for the Spaniard to get back over the net. Serving for the championship, Federer saves two break points before he finally clinches it on his second match point, despite a despairing Hawk-Eye challenge from Nadal. AFP

Djokovic shatters Federer dream to win third Wimbledo

kit-sports editor — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 02:39:28 +0000

Defending champion Novak Djokovic won a third Wimbledon title and a ninth Grand Slam crown yesterday, ruthlessly shattering Roger Federer’s bid for a record eighth All England Club triumph.

World number one Djokovic won 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (10/12), 6-4, 6-3 to add the Wimbledon title to the Australian Open he captured in January.

It was a cathartic moment for Djokovic just a month after his heartbreaking French Open final defeat against Stan Wawrinka — a loss that denied him the only major title he has yet to win.

For 33-year-old Federer, it was a bitterly disappointing end to his bid to become the oldest Wimbledon champion of the Open Era.

The 17-time major winner has now gone three years since his last Grand Slam triumph.

But he had his chances. In a rollercoaster rematch of last year’s final, he was 4-2 up in the first set and had two set points.

Federer then had to save seven set points in the second set before bravely levelling the contest.

However, Djokovic, five years Federer’s junior, stepped on the gas and raced away to the title. Sunday’s final was the pair’s 40th career meeting and 12th in the Grand Slams.

Djokovic was playing in his 17th major final compared to Federer’s 26th.

But despite Federer’s majestic triumph over Andy Murray in the semi-finals, which suggested he was not ready for the retirement home just yet, Sunday’s reality check looks certain to leave the Swiss thwarted in his quest to add to his record 17 Grand Slam title collection.

In front of a Royal Box crammed with tennis and Hollywood A-listers, including Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Grant and Bradley Cooper, Federer was in the early ascendancy.

He broke for a 4-2 lead but Djokovic hit straight back condemning the Swiss to just his second lost service game in 94 served up at the tournament.

Federer then saw two set points disappear in the 12th game, both saved courtesy of back-to-back 120mph serves.

Djokovic capitalised on his escape, racing through the tiebreaker with six consecutive points to claim the opener when Federer served up a double fault. The Serb committed just three unforced errors in the first set, a key statistic in what would always be a tight encounter.

By contrast, Federer hit 11, the same as he suffered throughout his semi-final win over Murray. Federer wasted two break points in the fifth and 11th games of the second set having saved a first set point in the 10th.

That paved the way for a titanic tiebreak where the 33-year-old saved six more set points before levelling the final on his second set point.

At 12/10, it was the longest tiebreak in a Wimbledon final since 2000 when Pat Rafter faced Pete Sampras with the set taking 65 gripping minutes to complete.

To his credit, Djokovic swiftly recovered, breaking for a 2-1 lead in the third set which became 3-2 when rain forced them off for 20 minutes. The world number one confidently wrapped up the set 6-4 with just two unforced errors even if the brief stoppage had dampened the fireworks of the second set.

Djokovic was strangling the life out of Federer’s game and another break gave him a 3-2 lead in the fourth set.

AFP

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Federer wins Nadal thriller to clinch 18th Slam

Djokovic shatters Federer dream to win third Wimbledo