US Open: Roger Federer's 5 most memorable match wins at Flushing Meadows

The US Open is the third Grand Slam tournament where Roger Federer has triumphed at least 5 times (Wimbledon - 9 and Australian Open - 6), making him the only player in the Open Era do so.

Federer is a record five-time champion at the US Open, along with Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors. The Swiss won his five US Open titles on the trot, from 2004 to 2008, which is an Open Era record for most consecutive titles at the last Grand Slam of the year.

20-time Grand Slam champion Federer's 85 match wins at Flushing Meadows is only dwarfed by fellow five-time US Open winner Connors' tally of 98.

After a modest 11-4 record in his first four appearances at the tournament, Federer embarked on a stunning 40-match win streak, racking up five successive titles between 2004 and 2008, before being stopped by Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro in five sets in the 2009 title match.

Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open

The next best streaks of consecutive match wins at the US Open are Ivan Lendl's 27 wins between 1985 and 1988, and John McEnroe's 26 victories between 1979 and 1982.

Following his five straight titles at Wimbledon, Federer became the first player in the Open Era to win 5 consecutive titles at successive Grand Slam tournaments, when he triumphed over first-time Grand Slam finalist Andy Murray in the 2008 US Open final.

Since Federer's 2008 triumph, no other player has managed to successfully defend his title at the US Open. In this intervening period, six different players (Del Potro, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Murray, Cilic and Wawrinka) have lifted the title at Flushing Meadows.

On the cusp of Federer's record-equaling 18th appearance as a seeded player at the US Open next week, let us relive the 5-time champion's 5 most memorable match wins at the last Grand Slam of the year.

#1 2000 1R Federer beats Wessels 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 3-4 RET.

Roger Federer

On his US Open debut in 2000, 19-year-old Federer faced Peter Wessels in the first round. The Swiss teenager lost the first two sets and in the fourth set was a point away from a first round exit at a Grand Slam for the fourth time in six appearances.

To his credit though, Federer rallied to save the match point and took the fourth set to force a decider. At 4-3 in the fifth set, Wessels retired due to an injury, giving the Swiss a win on his debut at the the last Grand Slam of the year.

It was the first time in a Grand Slam, and the third time in his young career, that Federer had saved a match point en route to a win.

The Swiss has since racked up 84 more victories and five titles to close to within 13 wins of Connors' record of most match wins (98) at the US Open.

#2 2004 final: Federer beats Hewitt 6-0 7-6(3) 6-0

Federer beats Hewitt to lift his first US Open title in 2004

In his fifth tournament appearance, Federer arrived at his first US Open final against 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt, following a five-set quarterfinal defeat of Andre Agassi and a straight-sets win over Tim Henman in the last four.

The top seeded Swiss burst off the blocks, taking a bagel opening set against a stunned Hewitt in a mere 18 minutes. It was the first time in the Open Era that the men's singles final at the US Open had witnessed a bagel first set.

Federer snatched an early break in the second and arrived at three set points. A rout was on the cards, but Hewitt broke the Swiss in the ninth game of the set to force a tiebreak.

Federer regrouped and asserted his dominance in the tiebreak which he clinched for the loss of just three points, to take a commanding two-set lead.

History was now against Hewitt as no player had recovered from a two-set deficit in the final to win the US Open title since Pancho Gonzalez beat Ted Schroeder in the 1949 title match. Hewitt wilted in the face of a relentless onslaught from Federer as the Swiss walloped to the finish line with another bagel set to win his first US Open title and third Grand Slam of the year.

This remains the only double-bagel US Open final since the 1884 title match between Richard Sears and Howard Taylor.

Federer became the first player in the Open Era to win his first four Slam finals, and the Swiss also emulated Mats Wilander by becoming the first player in 16 years to win three Grand Slam titles in a year.

#3 2007 final: Federer beats Djokovic 7-6(4) 7-6(2) 6-4

Federer poses with his 4th US Open title in 2007

Three-time defending champion Federer reached his fourth consecutive US Open final by recording straight-sets wins over Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals and Nikolay Davydenko in the semis.

This was the first time in 22 years (Ivan Lendl) that a player had reached four successive title matches at the US Open.

11-time Grand Slam champion Federer faced a first-time Grand Slam finalist in 20-year-old Novak Djokovic. The Swiss lost serve in the 11th game of the first set and stared down three successive set points on his opponent's serve.

Federer saved them all, and then a further two, as the set proceeded to a tiebreak - which the Swiss clinched to take a one-set lead.

In a near-repeat of the first set, Djokovic had two more set points which he couldn't convert as Federer took the second set on another tiebreak. That gave him a two-set lead and a stranglehold on the match.

This was the Swiss' 13th tiebreak win in a Grand Slam final, in 15 attempts.

With the young Serb's challenge disintegrating in the third, Federer upped his game to get across the line and become the first player in the Open Era to win four successive US Open titles.

#5 2009 semifinal: Federer beats Djokovic 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5

Federer beats Djokovic to reach his 6th straight US Open final in 2009

Following a tough four-set victory over Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals for his 50th win at the US Open, Federer faced Novak Djokovic in the last four, in the pair's third consecutive meeting at Flushing Meadows. And for a third straight year Djokovic wouldn't have a way past Federer.

In a tight three-set tussle, Federer produced a moment of sublime brilliance to arrive at match point. The Swiss appeared in no position to retrieve a Djokovic lob but somehow hustled to the baseline to unleash a between-the-legs shot (tweener) which landed across the net past a stunned Djokovic. The Serb soon joined the crowd in rapturous applause.

A point later, Federer closed out a straight-sets win to reach his sixth straight US Open final, becoming the first player to do so in 20 years - since Ivan Lendl.

In the process, the Swiss recorded a staggering 40th consecutive match win at the US Open, leaving Lendl (27 wins from 1985-1988) a distant second for most consecutive wins at Flushing Meadows.

#5 2014 quarterfinals: Federer beats Monfils 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-5 6-2

Federer beats Monfils in the 2014 US Open quarterfinals

On a swirling, windy evening under the lights at Flushing Meadows, five-time champion Roger Federer was under the gun against Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals of the 2014 US Open.

The Swiss struggled with uncharacteristic unforced errors as he fell two sets behind against the Frenchman. Federer improved as the wind eased up, launching his comeback by taking the third set.

After trading early breaks in the fourth, the Swiss stared down two match points on his serve at 4-5 15-40, and Monfils stood on the cusp of a monumental upset.

But the Frenchman saw both chances evaporate courtesy a backhand which sailed long and a sublime Federer forehand winner. A distraught Monfils coughed up successive double faults in the next game to drop serve as Federer took the fourth set to force a decider.

As Monfils disintegrated, Federer rolled through the fifth set, dropping only two games to seal his berth in a ninth US Open semifinal.

This marked only the second time in his career that Federer had saved match points to win a Grand Slam encounter (after the 2000 US Open first round against Peter Wessels).