Rafa reigns supreme in classic final

Nadal squandered a two-set lead and two Championship points in the fourth set tie-break before summoning one final challenge and sealing a 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-7 (8/10) 9-7 victory as darkness fell.

But in a match interrupted by two brief rain delays, Nadal finally seized his chance in the 15th game of the final set, breaking Federer then serving out and marking his victory by crumbling to the court.

Nadal had produced near-flawless tennis in the first set, breaking as early as the third game of the match when two consecutive missed backhands set the tone for a patchy start from the defending champion.

Federer, however, was in no mood to surrender his title. After starting the second set with his second consecutive love service game, he pressured the Nadal serve and broke for a 2-0 lead with a searing forehand cross-court winner.

The defending champion swept into a 4-1 lead but Nadal responded in emphatic fashion by reeling off five games in a row, rallying from break point down to hold and take the second set, also 6-4.

Federer squandered four break points on the Nadal serve at 3-2 and in the next game Nadal was given a golden chance to show Federer how it was done, but gave up his own match-winning advantage by being clawed back from 0-40. Inevitably the set sailed into a tie-break, with Federer claiming the first advantage with a big service return for 4-2, and maintaining his lead to win the breaker 7-5 and narrow the deficit.

Trading blows like champion boxers, both men served strongly in the fourth set, Federer twice to stay in the Championships, forcing a second tie-break as good as any since Bjorn Borg's epic against John McEnroe in 1980.

Nadal grabbed a 5-2 lead before crucially double-faulting and allowing Federer to drag himself back from a double mini-break down. Federer was first to hold set point at 6-5, but flashed a forehand into the tramlines. Federer earned his second set point at 9-8, and this time a long backhand return from Nadal brought an end to a truly remarkable tie-break, Federer's 10-8 victory clawing the match back level.

At 7-7 Nadal converted his fourth break point chance to set up the opportunity to serve out for the Championship. On his fourth match point, Nadal forced one final error from Federer, and collapsed to the turf in triumph.