Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has defeated Spaniard Rafael Nadal in a marathon five-set match to win the Australian Open in Melbourne and capture his 18th Grand Slam title.
Federer, 35, outlasted Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on Sunday.
The win is Federer's fifth Australian Open title and his first at a major tournament since he won the 2012 Wimbledon championship.
"There are no draws in tennis but I would have been happy to share one with Rafa tonight," Federer said after the more than 3 1/2-hour match.
"It was a great match and I think Roger probably deserved it a little more than me. I will keep on fighting," said Nadal.
Federer and Nadal have played 35 times, with Nadal leading 23-12 and 6-3 in Grand Slam finals, including a win over Federer in the 2009 Australian Open.
In the women's final on Saturday, American women's tennis star Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus Williams in straight sets (6-4, 6-4).
With the victory, the 35-year-old Serena Williams powered her way into the record books with 23 Grand Slam titles, surpassing German Steffi Graf as winner of the most Grand Slams since the beginning of the Open era in 1968, when professional and amateur players competed in the same events. Aussie tennis icon Margaret Court won 24 majors but collected 13 of those before the Open era.
The victory at Rod Laver Arena also ensured Serena Williams will regain the top ranking, which she lost in September after 186 consecutive weeks when German Angelique Kerber won the U.S. Open.
