Novak Djokovic defeats Roger Federer to win US Open

NEW YORK  — Novak Djokovic has defeated Roger Federer in four sets in the US Open final for his 10th Grand Slam title.

The top-ranked Serb beat Federer 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday night (Monday morning in Manila) to win three major championships in a year for the second time in his career. He also topped Federer in the Wimbledon final in similar fashion — dropping the second set and taking the next two.

Djokovic had been just 1-4 in US Open title matches.

The second-seeded Federer is still stuck on 17 Grand Slam championships, with none since 2012 Wimbledon. After a rocky start, the Swiss great raised his level and kept constant pressure on his rival. But Djokovic was just a bit better at the biggest moments, saving 19 of 23 break points — including three in the final game — while converting 6 of 13 of his own opportunities.

The start of the match was delayed more than three hours by rain, and when it began the crowd was firmly behind the 34-year-old Federer. But the roars for his opponent didn't rattle Djokovic much, and he also recovered quickly from a scary fall early in the first set that left him with bloody scrapes on his right forearm, hand and knee.