Federer storms back to US Open title in Grand Slam rebound (Roundup)

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.