NEW YORK: Juan Martin del Potro dethroned five-time defending champion Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 to capture the US Open on Monday, ending an era to win in his first Grand Slam final.

Firing consistent winners, the 1.98m Argentine giant kept the pressure upon the player many hail as the greatest in tennis history, one he had never beaten in six prior attempts, and won a shocker after four hours and six minutes. The stunner made Del Potro only the second South American to win the US Open men’s crown, after countryman Guillermo Vilas in 1977, and denied Swiss world No 1 Federer a 16th career Slam crown and sixth US Open title in a row.

Sixth seed Del Potro snapped Federer’s 41-match unbeaten streak on the Flushing Meadows to win $1.85 million and destroyed the Swiss superstar’s aura of US Open invincibility. Del Potro led Federer by two sets in the French Open semi-finals before the Swiss rallied for a dramatic five-set win. But there was no such escape this time. Federer was pushed into a fifth set for only the third time since the start of his championship run, the other times being against Andre Agassi in the 2004 quarter-finals and in last year’s round of 16 against Igor Andreev.

Del Potro zipped a forehand crosscourt winner past Federer for a break and a 2-0 lead in the final set and denied the top seed on a break chance in the third game on his way to a 5-2 lead. Federer served to stay in the match but found himself down two match points, both squandered by Del Potro with a wide forehand and a netted backhand. But Federer’s 11th double fault gave Del Potro another chance and he made the most of it, winning when Federer sent a forehand over the baseline.

Federer lost his cool as well as his crown, the usually mild-mannered master shotmaker cursing at umpire Jake Garner during a third-set changeover for being told to be quiet after arguing about Del Potro taking too long to challenges. Federer broke Del Potro in the next game to claim the set but could not go the distance, leaving Bill Tilden’s US Open record run of six titles in a row from 1920 through 1925 intact.

Federer was two points from taking the second set in the 10th game before Del Potro fought back to break and took the tie-break to equalise. “That one cost me the match maybe,” Federer said. “I thought I had

him under control for the first two sets. I was in a

great position. If I had won that second set, I think I would have come through, but I didn’t.”

Federer struggled with his first-serve percentage, hitting only 50 per cent

for the match to 65 per cent for Del Potro and converting only 5-of-22 break chances. Del Potro fired

37 forehand winners, 17 more than Federer.