By Caroline Cheese
BBC Sport at Wimbledon
World number one Roger Federer produced a near-perfect performance to beat Andy Roddick 6-2 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 and complete a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles.
The 23-year-old joins Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg as the only players to win three in a row in the open era.
Federer was at his peerless best in the first set but Roddick fought hard in the second before his opponent stepped up a gear to take it on a tie-break.
A rain delay failed to unsettle the Swiss, who broke once to seal glory.
"It's a pity for Andy but I really did play my best," Federer told BBC Sport.
"I'm very, very proud. This is the third time so it's very special.
"I came here with huge expectations and to be standing here with the trophy is almost a dream.
"I was quite concerned before the semi-finals and the final and it's a huge relief."
The first set looked set to be a tight affair when only one point went against serve in the first five games.
But at 3-2, Federer piled on the pressure by finding a way to return some fearsome Roddick serves.
Federer set up a second break point by firing Roddick's smash straight back past his opponent and took control when the American went long.
The world number one made just one error and hit 15 winners in an awe-inspiring first-set display and rubber-stamped his dominance by breaking again to take it in 22 minutes.
To his credit, Roddick did not buckle.
Roddick fought hard in the second set, but to no avail
When Federer suffered a brief lapse of concentration at 1-1 in the second, the second seed took his chance and broke for the first time in the match.
The defending champion was quickly back into his stride and levelled proceedings at 3-3 but still, Roddick fought on.
The American, approaching the net with increasing frequency, saved two set points at 4-5 and recovered from deuce at 5-6 but he was finally undone by the brilliance of his opponent in the tiebreak.
A netted forehand gave Federer a 5-2 lead and prompted Roddick to hurl his racket into the turf, but it failed to kickstart the second seed.
Just as Federer took a commanding two-set lead, rain provided the under-fire Roddick with some welcome respite.
The short delay did seem to energise Roddick.
He got to deuce on Federer's first service game but the top seed once again found his form when it mattered.
A supreme forehand pass at the start of game seven sparked another rush of winners from Federer.
The 23-year-old fired yet another backhand winner past a stranded Roddick to seal the crucial break and the outclassed American had no answer.
The world number one held serve to 15 to complete a comprehensive victory in one hour 41 minutes.
"I'm more in the mood for a beer than a chat right now," Roddick said after his eighth defeat in nine matches against Federer.
"I couldn't have asked for more and wanted it more but this guy's the best for a reason and deserves credit.
"He's become such a complete player, even since he beat me in the semi-finals two years ago. He's improved so much since then."
And looking to future matches against the champion, Roddick joked: "Maybe I'll just punch him or something."