MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Novak Djokovic withstood the expected barrage from upstart Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first set, then rallied to win the Australian Open for his first Grand Slam title.
Djokovic fended off the Muhammad Ali lookalike 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the final on Sunday night, ending a sequence of 11 straight majors won by either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal since Marat Safin's victory in 2005.
Djokovic had not lost a set in six matches leading into the final, including his semifinal win over two-time defending champion Federer. But with unseeded Tsonga coming out swinging like he did in his straight-sets upset over No. 2 Nadal in the semifinals and three other top 14 players, that streak came to a sudden end.
The third-ranked Djokovic rebounded in the second and third sets, and after saving a crucial breakpoint in the fourth, dominated the tiebreaker to clinch his first major at his 13th attempt.
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