Thomas Johansson blunted the might of Marat Safin today to win his first grand slam title 3-6 6-4 6-4 7-6 at the Australian Open.
The 16th-seeded Swede ruined Safin's 22nd birthday with some measured counter-punching at Melbourne Park. Johansson is the first Swedish champion at the Australian Open since Safin's coach Mats Wilander lifted the trophy in 1988.
His victory was also revenge for Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov's victory over Johansson's Davis Cup team mate Thomas Enqvist in the 1999 final.
After a nervous start, Johansson got down to work and ground out a polished victory to win the title and A$1 million.
