Roger Federer wins sixth Australian Open title, and 20th major grand slam in Melbourne

The 2018 Australian Open ended earlier today with Roger Federer winning his 20th major grand slam title in Melbourne, against Marin Cilic in an epic five set thriller. Federer won his sixth title in seven finals, and he had not lost a set coming into the final. Roger won the first set (6-2), the third set (6-3), and the fifth set (6-1). He lost the 2nd set in a tiebreaker, and the 4th set (6-3). Roger was up 3-1 in the 4th set, and Cilic won the next five games to extend the match. Roger should have won the 4th set, but his serve was broken twice during that five game stretch. In the deciding set, Roger found another gear to close it out in seven quick games. This match was the second time that Marin Cilic and Roger Federer had played in a grand slam final, in consecutive years. Federer had beaten Cilic in three sets at the 2017 Wimbledon final. Cilic hung around with Roger in the fourth set, and Marin will move up to #3 in the world in the new ATP rankings on January 29. Roger will move within 200 points of Rafael Nadal, as his 20th major victory helped him to gain traction on Nadal's #1 ranking. Roger's serve was much better than his stats were, in his semifinal victory over Chung. Roger won that match in two shortened sets, as Chung retired in the 2nd set before it was over. Roger won the first set by 6-1, and was up 5-2 in the 2nd set before the match ended due to Chung's foot blisters. Lastly, Cilic's path to the final included a five set win over Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Nadal retired in the fifth set, as he was down 2-0 before leaving the match with an right leg injury. Cilic beat Kyle Edmund in the semifinals in three sets, and Marin reached his third grand slam final in Melbourne. The Croatian has shown incredible consistency over the past 2 years in the grand slam finals. Both Federer and Cilic had the pleasure of playing, with some celebrities watching them in the final match. Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky were sitting courtside at the Australian Open final. The beautiful married couple are well known for their acting prowess. As this post ends, Roger Federer has won three of the past five Grand Slam tournaments. Hope he plays the French Open this year, as it would be good to see him in all four grand slam tournaments. Enjoy the picture above of Roger Federer and his new Australian Open trophy. His sixth trophy was another spectacular match, between two splendid players. Long live the Federer Express!