On 28 January 2018, Roger Federer won the Australian Open final in Melbourne to claim his 20th Grand Slam singles title. No man had reached that mark before. He beat Marin Cilic across five sets on Rod Laver Arena.
A tight night settled in the fifth set
The roof was closed against extreme heat, and the still conditions suited Federer's game. He raced to a 4-0 lead and took the first set. Cilic answered, saving a set point and taking the second-set tie-break 7-5.
The match swung both ways. Federer broke early in the third and won five of the next six games, then broke again in the fourth, only for Cilic to level at two sets each. In the decider Federer trailed 0-2 and saved two break points.
That hold ended Cilic's run of five straight games. Federer then broke for a 3-0 lead and closed out the set 6-1. The final score was 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 after three hours and four minutes.
Twenty majors, four clear of the field
The win was Federer's sixth Australian Open title, equalling Roy Emerson's record. It was his 30th Grand Slam final and put him four majors clear of Rafael Nadal, on 16. At 36, he became only the third man in the Open Era to win four or more majors after turning 30.
Speaking afterwards, Federer put the deciding set down to more than form. "I think experience helped me there a little bit, and also a little bit of luck, I felt like I needed a little bit tonight," he told reporters.
The title came a year after he had beaten Nadal in the same final. It confirmed a late chapter that few had thought possible.
