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Roger Federer of Switzerland screams after winning the third set during the US Open final against Andre Agassi of the US at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Federer won 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-1.(AFP)
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Roger Federer defended his US Open title dominating a third settie-breakto defuse the challenge of 35-year-old Andre Agassi before winning 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-1.
The top seed and title-holder looked in difficulty in the third set with Agassi 4-2 up, but he rallied brilliantly to force a tie-break and doused the Agassi flame by winning that 7/1.
With the pressure off, Federer moved into top gear, and he raced away with the final set in just 23 minutes.
Federer was the first man to defend the US Open title since Patrick Rafter in 1998 and the first in the Open era starting in 1968 to win both Wimbledon and the US Open in successive years.
He has now won all six Grand Slam finals he has contested following his three Wimbledon titles in 2003/2004/2005 and the 2004 Australian Open.
Agassi at 35 lost for the fourth time in a US Open final, but he also won twice in 1994 and 1999.
In what was a dream climax for the championships, Agassi had more at stake as he sought a crowning glory to one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport in his 20th straight appearance in the tournament that means most to him.
He had battled through three consecutive five-setters to reach the final, riding a tide of emotional support from the home fans.
Federer had already consolidated his position as the world's top player and had beaten Agassi in their last seven encounters.
Agassi won the toss and elected to receive. Federer held comfortably with a barrage of big first serves.
The champion forced the first break points of the final at 3-2 up in the sixth game and he converted on the second as an under-pressure Agassiflappeda forehand into the net.
Federer was dominating early on and had three set points on Agassi's next serve but the American saved all three.
The Swiss stylist then squandered a further four set points against a hard-scrambling Agassi on his own delivery, but finally went one set up on the eighth with a big serve followed by a forehand winner doing the damage.
Agassi drew inspiration from his efforts at the end of the first set and brought the crowd back into the match by breaking Federer in the second game of the second set to lead 2-0.
He staved off three break points against his own serve in the next game and with Federer oddly passive, the Las Vegan struck again in the eighth game to level the set scores at 6-2.
The match was finely poised into the third, but Federer was rattled by the pace and crispness of the American's groundstrokes and two uncharacteristic unforced errors from him gave Agassi another break to lead 4-2.
The champion rallied with a break of his own to level at 4-4 and he then had four break points to lead 6-5 but with his backhand badly misfiring, Agassi saved all, eliciting a standing ovation from the crowd.
It went to a tie-break and just as he had done against Lleyton Hewitt in the semi-finals, Federer stepped up a gear with seven points in a row to win 7/1.
The confidence had visibly seeped away from Agassi and, sensing victory, Federer went in for the kill jumping out into a 5-0 lead and serving out for the championship two games later after the 2hrs 20mins final.
(Agencies)
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Updated: 2005-09-12 10:10
