When I posted the above picture around 6:15 a.m. this morning to note that, while Roger Federer had won the Australian Open, I had to get some sleep while I could (and therefore would update later). I chose the photo for two reasons. First, there was not yet an AP photo available of Roger in celebration after his win over Fernando Gonzalez, nor was there a shot of him with the trophy. I assumed that I would likely replace it with these said images once they became available, but I'm actually going to leave this one as is. Whoever took this shot is a master craftsman of their trade, not just for the beauty of the "colour silhouette-esque" picture, but because it really looks to me like a work of art. Federer is the main focus, and no mater where you look, you are drawn to him. Not coincidentally, that's exactly what unfolded in Melbourne yesterday.

The first set (7-6 to Federer) was a tough one for the Swiss. Both players weren't exactly playing picture-perfect tennis, but you definitely sensed that Gonzalez had the upper hand. Early on, Federer was wild at times with his forehand, spraying many of them long and committing far more unforced errors than we are accustomed to seeing from him. Federer's first serve percentage and form was pretty weak as well; he didn't really get a consistent and powerful serve going until set two. He even faced two set points, both on Gonzalez's serve (I believe), but they were negated, which had to be a killer to the Chilean. You only have a small number of chances to capitalise against Federer, and letting those opportunities slip away of course hurt Gonzalez in the long run, which you could tell with his body language later on in the match. To walk away empty handed had to be extremely demoralising, since Fernando was playing fine tennis, coupled with Federer frequently being off his game at the same time.

By the end of the set, Roger was doing a lot more to help himself, including trying to subdue the killer Gonzalez forehand with a few squash-like spin shots, and by simply playing a good defensive game overall. Getting through the first set for Federer was as much a testament to his defensive abilities on the court more than anything else. He certainly sweated it out, and when the last ball was struck, Roger knew he had escaped, sounding the arena with some rare emotion, which was essentially the turning point of the match.

In far quicker action, Federer took the second set 6-4. The set started with three holds of serve by each player, but the Rebound Ace surface was, in reality, a sheet of thin ice for Fernando - the majority of his service games were tightrope walks, just barely holding each time, while Roger's service games were almost automatic. This would become more apparent in the final set, but in set two, the foundation was being laid (or crumbling, if you're Gonzalez).

During the tournament, you couldn't miss the hundreds of fold-out "Top Shot" signs supplied by Optus (in case you were wondering who that sponsor is on Tony Roche's cap). There have been some great shots during the fortnight, but I think that we finally saw the true top shot in the final, at 3-3. On break point, after a few exchanges, Federer hit a forehand short and wide, about as much as can be while adhering to the laws of physics, with some remarkable spin that took Gonzalez clear off the court in the hope of returning it. Those were false hopes, as the point was soon over and the break went to Federer. Leading 4-3, Roger closed out the set in short order, with Gonzalez becoming more irritated with each passing game. His frustration never manifested itself in an embarrassing fashion, rather through some vocal outbursts, a more negative demeanour, and even the excessive grip and racket changes. You could tell that Fernando was starting to lose some of the concentration that is necessary to defeat Federer.

Earlier in the day, I watched by local college basketball team, the Syracuse Orange, blow a 14-point lead to Louisville in the second half of a game that they had completely dominated from the start. I was so annoyed that I commented that Syracuse should take a leaf out of Roger Federer's book and learn how to close out matches. My only concern at this point -- as a Federer fan -- was if Roger could indeed hold the lead in Rod Laver Arena. It would only take one set to revive the Chilean, in my opinion, since the crowd would be completely in his favour, and the momentum would change in an instant. Soon enough though, we'd see that Federer would close out Gonzalez by the same 6-4 score in set three, reminding me of his never-ending dedication to the match as a whole, and also that the Swiss flag does not feature the colour orange.