Top seed and defending champion Roger Federer won the first set 7-6 (7/2) in the Australian Open men's singles final against Chilean 10th seed Fernando Gonzalez on Sunday.
Updated at 6 pm
MELBOURNE: Roger Federer beat Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4 to win the Australian Open tennis championship here on Sunday.
The Swiss world number one clinched his 10th Grand Slam title after two hours and 20 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, celebrating his third win at Melbourne Park by collapsing to the floor in joy after a crunching backhand winner sealed victory.
A tight first set proved crucial with Gonzalez making the first break to lead 5-4, but the 10th seed could not convert two set points before Federer levelled and took the tiebreak 7-2.
Federer's breaks in game seven of the second and third sets were enough for him to become the first man to retain the title since Andre Agassi in 2001 and the first man to win a Grand Slam without losing a set since Bjorn Borg at Roland Garros in 1980.
He joined American Bill Tilden as joint fifth all-time Grand Slam title leader with 10 behind American Pete Sampras's 14.
Federer also became only the fourth man to win a Grand Slam title without dropping a set, the last being Sweden's Bjorn Borg at the 1980 French Open.
It was 36 years at the Australian Open since Australian Ken Rosewall won the title without losing a set.
"I knew he is a tough and a dangerous player and the way he's been going through the draw here made me wonder what he was doing different this time and his win over (Rafael) Nadal shocked me," Federer said.
"When I got ready for the match I told myself that I've beaten him nine times, to take it easy and try to play my game and hopefully it was going to work out, and it did."
The mercurial Swiss went into the final having already equalled Australian Jack Crawford's all-time record for seven consecutive Grand Slam final appearances and he has now won three straight major titles.
It was his 36th consecutive match for his longest winning streak as he claimed his 46th title.
Gonzalez, who went into the decider in unbelievable form, was poised to take the opening set with two set points. But the champion Swiss fought off the threat with brinkmanship tennis.
He put Gonzalez's backhand under unrelenting pressure after winning the 63-minute opening set struggle and went on for his 10th consecutive win over the Chilean.
"I thought he was a better player than me in the first set, up until that point," Federer said.
"If he closes it out 6-4 he's clearly the better player in that set, but I came back just at the right moment."
Federer now has a 10-1 record in Grand Slam finals with his only loss coming against Spain's Rafael Nadal in last year's French Open, which is the only major title he has yet to win.
He was in danger of dropping a set for the first time in 11 matches in the first set, but he fought off two set points and then broke back to 5-5.
He then had four set points of his own on Gonzalez's serve before the marathon set went to a tiebreaker.
Federer took charge in the second set with a service break in the seventh game and had little difficulty on serve to hold three set points and take a two-love lead with an ace.
He got his decisive breakthrough in the seventh game of the final set, taking the break on his fourth break point at the net by putting away a volley.
He served out for the championship and claimed match point with a backhand winner. Despite the loss Gonzalez, whose game has been revitalised by American coach Larry Stefanki, is projected to climb to five on the next rankings.
"Roger took every opportunity. I had opportunities but didn't take them. He is a great player," said Gonzalez.
"I've been playing really good tennis so I'm at a good level and I'm still improving, so it's been a very positive tournament for me."
He is only the third South American to reach the Australian Open final in the Open Era (post-1969) after Chile's Marcelo Rios in 1998 and Guillermo Vilas of Argentina in 1977-79.
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