Firing thunderbolt deliveries through a bellowing wind, Andy Roddick punctured Roger Federer's aura of invincibility to win the Kooyong Classic invitational on Saturday.
The American swept to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory to record his first win over the world number one since August 2003, gaining a huge psychological boost before the Australian Open starts on Monday.
Unfortunately Roddick will only be able to savour the memory of the rare victory over the Swiss master as the result will not count in the official records with the event only being an exhibition.
"It (a win over Federer) needs to be done on a big stage before you can put too much emphasis on it," Roddick told reporters.
"That said, it's nice. It's nice to get some good preparation throughout the final before the Australian Open."
The result will do little to dent Federer's confidence since he was also beaten in the tournament last year before securing a second Melbourne Park crown just two weeks later.
In fact, the last time the Swiss was beaten, in the second round of the 2006 Cincinnati Masters by Briton Andy Murray, he was spurred on to win his ninth grand slam title with a series of breathtaking victories at the U.S. Open last September.
"Andy played well. I thought I would be out very quickly because of the start he had," Federer told the crowd.
"But I feel ready for the Australian Open."
Federer entered the match with a commanding 12-1 advantage over his American rival, who had lost eight successive matches to the Swiss.
BLISSFUL SLUMBER
For 31 minutes, Roddick must have wondered if he was dreaming as he barely put a foot wrong and grabbed the first set with two successive breaks.
It did not take Federer long to wake Roddick up from his blissful slumber.
Employing a serve and volley strategy in the breezy conditions, Federer streaked into a 3-0 lead in the second.
With both players going for broke, fans were treated to series of breathtaking exchanges.
The point of the match came in the second game when after two successive netcords -- with the ball bobbing on the tape each time -- Federer's mishit shot lobbed a net-charging Roddick.
As Roddick dropped his racket to the ground in desperation, Federer broke into a wry smile and shrugged his arms as if to say "What can I do?"
An ace levelled the match after 61 minutes and Federer looked to have the upper hand in the third as he held three break points in the third game and two more in seventh.
He was unable to convert any and a missed smash in the first point of the eighth game swayed the momentum Roddick's way.
He grabbed his chance, breaking Federer with a dipping volley, and duly wrapped up the win in the next game after Federer punched a backhand wide.
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