Australian Open 2018: How did Roger Federer defeat Marin Cilic? A set-by-set breakdown

Fifth Set: Federer 6-1

Federer raises his arms in victory

Unexpectedly, the match was into a fifth set and Federer looked annoyed with himself for his wasted chances. The momentum was with Cilic as he looked to break the Federer serve three times in a row. But Federer dug deep, saved 2 break points, and won the opening game after 3 deuces.

The Swiss master seemed to be feeling the pressure as he lashed out a line judge after a botched call in the next game. But the pressure was on Cilic as well, and he cracked to serve 2 double faults which allowed Federer to get the break and consolidate to go up 3-0.

Cilic's game disintegrated with 14 errors to Federer's 5, and the latter raced to a 5-1 lead to serve for the championship. The Swiss maestro eventually got 3 championship points and needed only 1.

In a deja-vu moment from last year's final, Cilic challenged the title winning shot only to be given the confirmation that Roger Federer was the 2018 Australian champion.

Federer congratulated by Cilic