(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-09-10 11:06

NEW YORK - Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic 7-6 7-6 6-4 in a tense battle on Sunday to win his fourth successive US Open crown and take his grand-slam tally to 12.

Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with the trophy after winning his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the men's final of the US Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows, New York, September 9, 2007. [Reuters]

Third seed Djokovic had five set points in the opening set of the final and two in the second but world number one Federer dug deep when he needed to and held his nerve to win the title.

Djokovic, bidding to become the first player representing Serbia to win a grand-slam title, served for the first set at 6-5 and had five set points, only to allow Federer to break back and win the tiebreak 7-4.

The third seed led 4-1 in the second and had two set points on the Federer serve at 6-5, but the top-seeded Swiss hit back to win the tiebreak 7-2 and broke in the 10th game of the third to clinch victory.

In a swirling wind, neither player hit the heights in the opening stages and games went with serve until the 11th when two uncharacteristic forehand errors from Federer gave the Serb the break.

With Maria Sharapova watching from the Djokovic box, the set looked to be his when he forged ahead 40-0 but his nerve faltered when he needed it most, missing five set points as Federer broke back and snatched the tiebreak 7-4.

Djokovic showed huge resolve when he broke in the fourth game of the second set and looked on course to level when he led 4-1.

Federer was in a spot of trouble at 15-30 in the next game but held on and immediately broke Djokovic to love to get back on serve.

In the 12th game, Federer coughed up three errors to give Djokovic two set points at 15-40, but four first serves helped him force another tiebreak.

A backhand error from Djokovic gave Federer a 3-2 lead in the tiebreak and the Swiss reeled off the next four points to take a two-sets lead, clinching it with a rasping backhand pass.

That was a bitter pill to swallow for Djokovic, but the Serb showed his mettle again as he forced 0-40 on the Federer serve in the fifth game of the third set.

That was his last chance, though, as the Swiss held on and broke in the 10th game, clinching victory when Djokovic netted a drop shot.

Federer became the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win the US Open title four years in a row.