Novak Djokovic has won his third Australian Open title in a row after beating Andy Murray in four sets in the men's singles final this lunchtime.
© PA Photos
There was little to chose between the two players in the first set, with neither able to break his opponent's serve and took it to a tie-break.
The Briton managed to put his tie-break woes from his semi-final against Roger Federer behind him and raced to a 6-1 lead, with the world number one serving a double fault.
The Serb tried to fight back while facing five set points, but a long shot handed Murray the set after 68 minutes.
It was a similar story in the second set, but this time it was the defending champion who took the lead in the tie-break, before Murray hit the ball into the net.
The US Open champion did have a chance to break the top seed's serve during the second set, but Djokovic managed to fight back, saving three break points in the process.
© AP Photos
Murray needed help from the trainer between sets to dress a large blister on his foot, but it did not seem to be hampering his movement too much.
The third set followed serve again until the eighth game, where the world number one finally managed to take the first break of the game, giving himself a 5-3 advantage before serving out the set in the next game to take a 2-1 lead.
The Scot had a chance to break Djokovic in the first game of the fourth set, but it was the Serb who took control in the third game, breaking Murray for the second time in the match.
Djokovic seemed to take his tennis up a notch as he closed in on the title, breaking Murray again two games later to take a 4-1 lead.
The world number one found himself 5-2 up and serving for the championship but Murray put up strong resistance, taking a 30-0 lead before some stunning shots from the top seed allowed him to bring up championship point that he converted when Murray put the ball into the net.
It is the third year in a row that Djokovic has taken the title in Melbourne and the fourth time during his career.
Sian Cowper
