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Federer wins second Australian Open

Posted on: Sunday, 29 January 2006, 10:29 CST

By Julian Linden

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - World number one Roger Federer overcame an early scare to beat Marcos Baghdatis 5-7 7-5 6-0 6-2 on Sunday, winning the Australian Open for the second time and capturing his seventh grand slam title.

The Swiss reeled off 11 straight games to end the unseeded Cypriot's magical odyssey and reach another landmark on his own relentless march to tennis immortality.

Federer became the first man to win three consecutive grand slam titles since American Pete Sampras 12 years ago and the third man to win his first seven grand slam finals.

The other two, Richard Sears and William Renshaw, achieved the feat in the 1880s.

Only the claycourt French Open continues to elude him, as it did Sampras.

"Obviously, I know the importance of winning the French, what it would do to my career," Federer told a news conference.

"Now I've won them twice each at least it puts the pressure on the French."

Federer, a model of on-court composure, clawed his way back from losing the first set and trailing 2-0 in the second.

But he was unable to contain his emotions when he received the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup from Australian Rod Laver, the last player to hold all four major titles simultaneously.

"I guess it's all coming out now," said Federer, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I've had some hard speeches but this one is really tough."

Later, Federer explained that the magnitude of his latest achievement had been overwhelming.

"It was a different type of grand slam victory, and I think that's why it was so emotional for me," he said.

"I felt very nervous going into the match again. I was incredibly nervous, actually."

CAPTURED IMAGINATION

Baghdatis had captured the imagination of tennis fans the world over with his fairytale run to the championship match, but the ever-smiling Cypriot was unable to keep pace with Federer once the top seed raised his game.

"It's like a dream and I've just woken up at the end," Baghdatis said.

"It's been two weeks here that has been fantastic. I'm in the final, I played the final and I lost. It's just amazing."

The 20-year-old made a confident start in his first grand slam final, breaking Federer's serve in the fifth game, then again in the 11th game after handing back the initial break.

He skipped to a 2-0 lead in the second set as an unusually error-prone Federer struggled to find his rhythm.

"I was sweating like crazy because I had to fight so hard on my own service games and I thought, "Well, if this is gonna continue like this, I'll probably lose and a miracle is gonna save me tonight'," Federer said.

Federer did not need divine intervention. Once he started coming to the net more and hitting his volleys crisply, the match was as good as over.

He got back on level terms as mistakes started to creep into his opponent's game, winning the second set off an unforced error, and he stormed through the third set in 24 minutes.

"I really played very well the first two sets," Baghdatis said.

"Then I just started thinking and got a bit stressed out, stopped playing my game. I made some mistakes, gave the chance to Roger to come in and play his game and be aggressive."

EARLY BREAK

An early break in the fourth set gave Federer a 3-0 lead and although Baghdatis held serve to end an 11-game losing streak, his body was showing signs of caving in before his spirit.

The former junior world number one, now ranked 54th in the world, had beaten three top-10 players in Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian to reach the final, and he started to cramp up midway through the fourth set.

Baghdatis received treatment to his left calf muscle and although he continued without any obvious pain, Federer comfortably held his remaining service games before breaking once more to close out victory in two hours 46 minutes.

"I'm definitely on a great roll at the moment but don't forget it's been a tough road for me," Federer said.

"I amaze myself every time I do well. I've been so consistent, winning so many slams, it's quite incredible.

"I'll just try to keep it up, stay healthy and keep enjoying it, because that's what I'm doing, and I think that's what makes me play well."

Earlier, former world number one Martina Hingis capped a successful return to grand slam tennis when she joined with Indian doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi to win the mixed doubles title.

Wild card entrants Hingis and Bhupathi beat sixth seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and Russian Elena Likhovtseva 6-3 6-3.

The Swiss won five grand slam singles titles, including three straight Australian crowns from 1997-99, and nine grand slam doubles crowns before her premature retirement in 2002.

"I just wanted this one badly. My first mixed doubles title, it definitely exceeded my expectations," Hingis said.

Source: REUTERS

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