Melbourne, January 27:

Novak Djokovic fended off unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the Australian Open final on Sunday, earning his first Grand Slam title.

No 3-ranked Djokovic’s win broke a sequence of 11 straight majors won by either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal since Marat Safin’s triumph at the 2005 Australian championship. Djokovic had not lost a set in six matches leading into the final, including his semi-final win over two-time defending champion Federer.

But with Muhammad Ali lookalike Tsonga coming out swinging like he did in his straight-sets upset over No 2 Nadal in the semi-finals, that streak came to a sudden end. The 20-year-old Djokovic rebounded in the second and third sets and after saving a crucial breakpoint in the fourth, clinched his first major at his 13th attempt. He was the youngest player since 1985 to win the Australian Open and the first man from Serbia to win a major.

As well as Tsonga, he had to overcome cramps. Djokovic got treatment on the back of his left thigh while holding for a 3-2 lead in the fourth set, then saved a break point while serving at 5-5. He raced through the tiebreaker — with some help from Tsonga, who double-faulted to make it 5-1 and then sent a running forehand long to give Djokovic four championship points. He only needed one as Tsonga hit a forehand wide.

Tsonga, ranked 38th, was playing his fifth Grand Slam tournament and had never gone beyond the fourth round. He was aiming to be first Frenchman in 80 years to win the Australian Open and the first to win any of the four Grand Slams since Yannick Noah’s win at Roland Garros in 1983.

Both men looked tight at first, dropping their first service games before settling in. Tsonga picked up his game when it appeared the first set was headed for a tiebreaker. He blasted three aces to take a 5-4 lead, then came up with two great shots to break Djokovic.

Serving at 30-30, Djokovic had an easy overhead, but didn’t do enough with it. Tsonga ripped a forehand crosscourt passing shot for a winner, then raised his racket and roared with the crowd. Another good forehand winner finished off the set, and Tsonga went down on one knee to pump his fist before dancing over to his chair to a standing ovation.

Djokovic refused to crumble. He never faced a break point in the second and third sets, yielding only 10 points in his nine service games. Tsonga, who had been so aggressive in beating four top 14 players earlier in the tournament, seemed more content to rally from the baseline, especially after getting passed several times.