Fourth-seeded Roger Federer has become the first Swiss player to capture a Grand Slam tennis event, beating big-serving Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon.
Federer, 21, won the evenly played first-set in Sunday, when Philippoussis, 26, served a critical double fault in the tie-breaker. Philippoussis then collapsed in the second set and lost 6-2 in only 28 minutes. Federer won the third set in another tiebreaker, collecting the title on his third championship point in one hour and 56 minutes.
Though both players were appearing in their first Wimbledon final, neither displayed any obvious signs of nervousness. The match was a demonstration of solid volleying, strong returns and booming serves. After coming into the match with 164 aces in the tournament, Phillippoussis' big serve was not an issue. Federer was able to return it effectively, and actually racked up a 21-14 ace advantage in the match.