Federer wins 20th major title at Aussie Open

Roger Federer has captured his 20th Grand Slam singles title, beating Marin Cilic in a tense, back-and-forth Australian Open final 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts during his men´s singles final match against Marin Cilic of Croatia at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 28 January 2018. [Photo: IC]

It's the sixth Australian Open title in Federer's illustrious career, going along with his eight titles in Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open and one at the French Open.

Cilic had two chances to break Federer's serve in the first game of the fifth set, but wasted them both with two unforced errors. The Croatian player then double-faulted twice in the second game to drop his own serve, giving Federer the decisive lead in the set.

Marin Cilic of Croatia plays the ball at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament final in Melbourne, Australia, 28 January 2018. [Photo: AP]

The crowd at Rod Laver Arena loudly cheered him on as he neared his 20th Grand Slam win, chanting his name between games and applauding Cilic's errors.

At the age of 36 years, 173 days, Federer also becomes the second-oldest man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era after Ken Rosewall, who won the 1972 Australian Open at 37.