New York - Roger Federer turned in a masterful performance
Monday to re-establish himself as a powerhouse in tennis as he
claimed a fifth straight US Open title.
The Swiss second seed rescued a season that had gone off the boil
- if only by his lofty standards - with an emphatic 6-2, 7-5, 6-2
thrashing of Andy Murray in one hour, 51 minutes.
Federer becomes the first man in the modern era to win five titles
in a row at Flushing Meadows, where he has not lost since 2003.
'This is a very special moment in my career,' said Federer after
his 13th Grand Slam title. 'I had a couple of tough Slams this year,
including that epic at Wimbledon. To take this one home is
incredible. It means the world to me.'
Federer powered up his huge game for the first Monday final in New
York in 21 years, delayed a day after torrential rain scuttled the
weekend schedule.
He avenged two defeats against Murray, who would have become the
first Briton to win the US tournament since Fred Perry in 1936.
'Andy's gone great the past couple of weeks,' Federer said. 'We'll
see more of him in the future.'
The victory ended a Federer 'slump' - losing finals in Paris and
Wimbledon to Rafael Nadal - which lasted for nine months as he began
2008 with a case of glandular fever.
Federer now stands one trophy from Pete Sampras' all-time career
mark of 14 Grand Slam titles.
The Open trophy was the third for Federer this season and 56th of
his glittering career.
He took the first two sets and then kicked in his afterburners
with two breaks of the Scot to love in the third set, 4-0.
Federer was broken while serving for victory leading 5-1 but put
things right a game later on his second match point, as he wrong-
footed Murray before falling to his knees in celebration of the
reassuring victory.
The defeat left Murray dazed, a day after he had eliminated top-
seed Nadal of Spain in the semi-finals. The Scotsman was one of only
three active players to boast a winning record head-to-head against,
Federer alongside Dominik Hrbaty and Nadal.
Murray paid tribute to his conqueror, having topped his own Grand
Slam best after a Wimbledon quarter-final.
'I had a great tournament but came up against the best player ever
to play the game,' said the new world number four.
Federer is the first man to win five successive titles at two
different Grand Slams, just ended his streak this year at Wimbledon.
He improved his Grand Slam finals record to 13-4. The match was
his 34th straight win at Flushing Meadows, where Federer is now 45-4
lifetime.
He now has 37 career hard-court titles.
USA
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