Australian Open 2018

[stroke]

Cilic played and competed well. He is such a good player. It has been a brutal era for him trying to win tournaments vs Fed, Nadal, and Djokovic. And here he was again playing in the final vs Fed, who plays tennis at a level all his own, a level no one has ever seen or been able to.

[gzhpcu]

20!

[don_budge]

It's HISTORICAL! That's my Living Proof! The one-handed backhand prevails!

[don_budge]

Another break of serve for "The Man". Serving for the championship. 15-love. 30-love. 40-love. Sublime. Championship point. Federer wins. No wait...Cilic challenges on championship point. Idiot! It's in. Roger Federer...2018 Australian Open Men's Champion!

[don_budge]

Once again...another momentum change. How many have there been this match? The ebb and flow in five set matches can be spellbinding. Federer with his teeth into the championship now with a break in the fifth. 3-0. But he was nearly in with a break in the fourth. He has to finish and get the horse in the barn. The ultimate cagey veteran against youth on fire. Come on Roger...bow your neck (as my dear old Dad used to say)!

[don_budge]

Another unbelievable momentum change. Cilic making another move on the Federer serve. 0-30. 15-30. 15-40. 30-40...Federer just hanging on. Deuce...a huge sigh of relief. Back to work. Advantage Federer. Unbelievable rally...Federer on the defensive and Cilic hits a winner for deuce. Momentum...momentum...momentum. Federer second serve ace for the advantage...sliced out wide. Cilic responds with a return winner. Back to deuce. "Unreal creamy patch of tennis"...says the announcer. Advantage Cilic. He breaks.

Marin Cilic to serve out the fourth set. He does....easily. Federer electing to begin serving the fifth than to contest an on-fire Cilic. Hold on now. It's a donnybrook. A slugfest. Cilic is the aggressor. He has the advantage starting the fifth.

[don_budge]

Not to be...not yet at least. Cilic responds with a break. Once again you can sense a change the momentum. Cilic is competing and giving it his all.

[don_budge]

Sweet...a drop shot at 40--love to win the game. 3-1 to the Swiss Maestro. Another masterpiece in the making.

[don_budge]

A dangerous point of the match now and Roger cannot afford to blink. He nearly broke Cilic again which would seemingly have clinched the championship. But Cilic holds and now Roger continues on his mission to hold serve for the duration of the match.

[don_budge]

My Lord...what a beautiful return. At 30-40 in the first game of the fourth set Roger takes a bomb out wide to his backhand and slices it low and wide to the Cilic backhand. He misses. A break to Federer in the fourth and now the tide has really turned. He only has to serve out the championship and he starts with an easy service game at 15. Sublime.

[don_budge]

Federer serving for the set. The difference between this and the first set is the situation is so much more pressure. How does the Maestro handle it? 30-love. 40-love. Third set to Federer...he leads two sets to one. Fantastic performance. The break and 3-2 was just sublime. Cilic's nerves cracked while Roger held his.

[don_budge]

Just like that...Federer hears the cosmic voice of don_budge and breaks the Cilic serve and quickly holds his own. Damn...it is like the Federer of old. Quickly striking and turning the tables once again. Just like that...Cilic serving to stay in the set.

[don_budge]

The tide has definitely turned. Now it is Cilic who is the aggressor. Federer managing to stay even and managing the ebb and flow of the match. But Cilic is looking very confident and maintaining more pressure on Federer than the other way around. Roger must get into the Cilic serve. He cannot wait it out for another tie-breaker.

[don_budge]

All even. Cilic wins the tie-break. The tide turns.

[don_budge]

Up 5-2 serving for the first set...a great moment in the match for Federer. Serving out the set is a skill. An art. A science. Let's see how he handles it. 15-0. 15-15. Ace...30-15. Ace...40--15. First serve in...game and first set to none other than Roger Federer.

The first set was important for Roger...perhaps more important than for Cilic. At any rate...it is very important to win the first set in a best of five. Otherwise you are going to be playing from behind. Roger is probably not the player to be playing from behind against.

Keep the pedal to the metal...he's playing like a boss.