Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka beat world number one Novak Djokovic with a scintillating display to win his first US Open and third Grand Slam title.
Wawrinka, seeded third, won 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 7-5 6-3 to add the US title to those he had already won in Australia and France over the last two years.
The 31-year-old hit 46 winners in a brilliant display of shot-making.
Serbia’s Djokovic made a strong start but struggled physically as the final entered a fourth hour in New York.
Wawrinka has now won all three Grand Slam finals he has played and his last 11 finals in a row, while on Sunday he became the oldest winner of the US Open since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970.
“My goal is to give everything I have to be the best I can,” said Wawrinka, who saved a match point in the third round against Britain’s Dan Evans.
“I never had a goal to win a Grand Slam but I am trying as best I can. Match after match I was playing better.”
Djokovic, 29, was the defending champion and trying to win his third Grand Slam title of 2016 and 13th of his career, reports the BBC.
He required treatment for a blister on his big toe in the final set, prompting complaints to the umpire and tournament referee from Wawrinka as the interruption came before his service game.
“Stan, sorry! I can’t stand,” Djokovic shouted across to him during the break.
After the match, Djokovic said: “Congratulations, Stan, to your team as well. This has been absolutely deserved today. You were more courageous player in the decisive moment and he deserves his title.”
Wawrinka had won just four of 23 previous matches against Djokovic but two of those had come on the way to winning Grand Slam titles, and the contest brought out the best in him once again.
Djokovic had spent just nine hours on court getting to the final, compared to 18 for Wawrinka, and the Serb started much the sharper.
However, a comfortable 5-2 lead disappeared as Wawrinka began to find his range and it required a surge of adrenaline and form to take the Serb through the tie-break.
The Swiss claimed his only point of the tie-break in an astonishing rally of attack and counter-attack, and his groundstrokes began to flow as he took control of the final in the second set.
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