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Federer takes Australian Open title ( 2004-02-01 14:23) (Agencies)
Roger Federer added another Grand Slam title to his Wimbledon crown defeating unseeded Marat Safin in three sets in Australia. The Swiss underscored his No 1 ranking with a 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2 rout of Safin in Sunday's Australian Open final in Melbourne. The 22-year-old ent up by two sets and two breaks in the third with a forehand winner down the line in the fifth game. He served out in 2 hours, 15 minutes on Safin's forehand error, securing his second major without dropping a set in the final. He beat Mark Philippoussis in straight sets at Wimbledon last year. Federer ensured he'd be No 1 when the new rankings are released with a straight-sets semifinal win over third-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero. Safin, who beat top-seeded Andy Roddick in the quarterfinal and ended defending champion Andre Agassi's 26-match streak here in the semifinals, was frustrated by Federer's ability to get his potential winners back into play. Federer had 40 winners and 28 unforced errors against Safin's 19 winners and 41 unforced errors. Safin twice slammed his racket into the court to vent his growing frustration. The Russian served 123 aces in six previous matches here, including 31 against Agassi without a double-fault. But he fired three aces against Federer and five double-faults. With the roof open at Rod Laver Arena, the match was played under mostly overcast skies and no wind. Part of Safin's game plan was to attack Federer's second serve, and that helped him break Federer in the third game of the opening set. The pair traded breaks twice and got back on serve to take the first set into a tiebreaker, which Federer dominated. Loud, booming music could be heard throughout the match from a rock concert at a nearby park. Early in the second set, chair umpire Mike Morrissey of Britain told both players that it would likely continue for the duration of the match. Safin was injured most of last year and did not win a match after May. He played in only 13 tournaments and his ranking slipped to 66, the first time since 1997 that he finished outside the top 50. Ranked 86th coming into the tournament, he can improve to the mid-20s with a win in the final. Safin and Federer have met four times previously, with Federer leading 3-1, but they've never played on hard courts. Safin won in straight sets when the two last met in Moscow in 2002.
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