Roger Federer powered to a fifth successive US Open title with a straight sets victory over British number one Andy Murray.Federer, who had lost his number one world ranking to Rafael Nadal and both his Australian Open and Wimbledon titles in 2008, ended the grand slam year on a high with a 6-2 7-5 6-2 victory in one hour and 51 minutes.
His victory saw him equal Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras as five-time US Open winners and move to within one grand slam title of Sampras' record of 14.
Murray, 21, had history in sight after defeating world number one Nadal in the previous night's semi-final, aiming to become the first British male since Fred Perry at the US national championships in 1936 to win a grand slam.
It was not to be, though, as Federer, seeded second behind Nadal, completed his 34th consecutive victory at Flushing Meadows to arrest a run of three grand slam defeats this year - in the Australian Open semi-final to Djokovic and to Nadal in the French and Wimbledon finals - and prove to his critics he was far from a spent force in the game.
Federer also gained revenge for a second consecutive defeat to Murray in Dubai in March.
The Swiss star had stormed to a four-set victory over third seed Djokovic in the semis on Saturday and had enjoyed a day's extra rest while Murray was battling Nadal on Sunday.
He looked supremely confident, his forehand immaculate and his mobility excellent as he broke Murray to go 4-2 up in the first set and then stepped up a further gear to take a 1-0 lead in just 27 minutes.
Murray had dug deep in the third round to come from two sets to love down to beat Austria's Jurgen Melzer but no player had lost the first set in a US Open final and gone on to win since Edberg in 1991.
Federer took his fifth straight game to open the second set and added a sixth to break Murray, only to see the British player break back to love with a great crosscourt forehand return backed up with a powerful backhand that the Swiss could only volley into the net.
Murray held his serve comfortably to draw level at 2-2 and he won the next three points on Federer's serve to earn another triple break point off another loose volley at the net from the second seed.
Federer saved the first by stretching Murray with a series of thundering forehands but Murray should have wrapped the game up in a similar rally on the next point when a Federer forehand mid-point looked long but play continued to the defending champion's benefit.
Murray looked witheringly at the line judge but having not challenged in mid-point he could do nothing to reverse the situation and Federer went on to hold serve as a television replay showed the ball had indeed been long.
With Murray serving to send the set into a tiebreak at 6-5 down, Federer re-emerged from a mid-set lull to convert the first of three set points, punishing a drop shot at the net with a winner down the line.
Having matched Federer throughout the set, Murray found himself 2-0 down and with a mountain to climb as the 12-time grand slam winner celebrated with a huge roar.
Murray's exertions in the previous rounds, with epic performances against Michael Llodra, Melzer, Juan Martin Del Potro and Nadal, finally appeared to have caught up with him as Federer broke his serve in the second game of the third set.
Not that the British number one had thrown in the towel, Murray grittily stretching to return a skidding drop shot and sending back a winner at an astonished Federer.
He still was no match for the defending champion, though, and soon surrendered a triple break point that Federer hammered home with a backhand to take a 4-0 lead.
Murray finally got on the scoreboard at 4-1 to great cheers from the New York crowd and they got even louder as he broke back in the next game.
Federer kept the pressure up with victory in sight and moved to 30-0 up on Murray's serve, two points from the championship. Murray scratched his way back into the game but his first service had deserted him and at deuce he sent over a tired double fault.
On championship point for Federer, Murray sent over a great first serve at last and moved into the net to put away a volley but it was merely delaying the inevitable.
Murray kept going but relented as Federer struck camp on the T and fired in overheads that his opponent finally failed to send back.
A fifth straight US Open title was Federer's and Sampras' grand slam record is now in touching distance.
by espnstar.com/tennis
No comments:
Post a Comment