NEW YORK, Sept 13: Roger Federer emphasised his position as the world's best player by demolishing former champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 to win his first US Open title on Sunday.
The world number one was close to perfection as he raced through the first set in 18 minutes, and although Hewitt forced a tiebreak in the second, Federer stormed through the third to become the first man in the Open Era to win his first four Grand Slam finals.
The Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, who seems destined to rewrite the tennis record books, is also the first player since Sweden's Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three Grand Slams in the same year.
In his first US Open final, Federer, 23, was simply breathtaking as he lost only five points on his way to the opener against a player who had cruised through to the final without dropping a set.
The match seemed to be running away from Australian fourth seed Hewitt in record time as he lost his opening serve of the second set, but he finally registered on the scoreboard after 30 minutes of one-way traffic.
Suddenly sensing he could force his way back into the match, the 2001 champion reached 30-40 on Federer's serve in the sixth game, but could only shake his head as his opponent produced three flashing aces.
Hewitt was hanging on by his fingernails in the next game when he saved three break points, battling back from 0-40 down. With Federer dipping slightly from his supreme level of the opening set, Hewitt had another break point in the next game but was frustrated when, after running the top seed all over the court, his attempted backhand winner flicked the net and landed in the tramlines.
The Australian's efforts were rewarded in a marathon 10th game when he saved three set points before snatching back a break to level the set at 5-5 when Federer missed a backhand.
With Federer showing the first signs of pressure, the tiebreak became the pivotal point of the match. When a Hewitt backhand limped into the net, the crowd realised it was all over bar the shouting.
As in the first set, Federer raised his level again in the third, racing into a 5-0 lead before a forehand winner down the line clinched the fourth Grand Slam title of his career. -Reuters
