Stanislas Wawrinka did two extraordinary things in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday: he beat a stricken but resolute Rafael Nadal to win it, then somehow, he curbed what must have been the strongest of urges to celebrate his victory.

What should have been a cold execution of wounded quarry turned into a familiar struggle for the Swiss, who took two hours and 21 minutes to beat Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in Melbourne for his first major.

Nadal’s back gave up on him, for the first time in his career, after the third game of the second set but he played through the pain to grab a set back, sending shivers of apprehension through his opponent, who had never beaten him in 12 attempts. When they embraced at the end, exchanging congratulations and commiserations after a strange, fascinating match, there was not a hint of triumphalism from the winner.

After an absurd glory moment from the president of the main sponsoring company, as well as pointless contributions from other suitably pleased suits, the principals were allowed to talk to the crowd who had come to see a tennis match.

As Rod Laver took photos on his mobile phone, Nadal, who missed last year’s tournament through his knee injury, said: “Many thanks to Stan. You really deserved it. We have a great relationship and all the best for the rest of the year. It has been a very emotional two weeks. I’m sorry to finish this way. I tried very, very hard.”

The winner, the first player to beat Novak Djokovic and Nadal in a slam tournament, was nearly as cut up as the loser. “Rafa, I’m really sorry for you. I hope your back is going to be fine. You’re a great friend and an amazing champion. Well done to come back last year to number one. Last year I had a crazy match, lost it. But in one year a lot’s happened. Right now I don’t know if I’m dreaming or not. But we’ll see tomorrow morning.”

It was not a great match, but it was a great fight – with so many portents stacked against Wawrinka, even in the pre-match announcements. The tiresome practice of listing each player’s entire career record in majors even before they have hit a ball rather favoured Nadal, with 13 slams to his name, and Wawrinka drawing a blank.

But, in a bright opening, it did not seem to faze the underdog – who we were also informed was twinned with, “Macclesfield in South Australia”, while Nadal was “representing Kendall, in NSW”. Another way to put it might have been Wawrinka was representing lost causes and his heavily garlanded opponent a brand of tennis designed to drop an ox.

If all of Macclesfield was with Stan, so was a good percentage of Rod Laver Arena, going by the response to his every success – and there were enough of those to rattle Nadal.

The gathering edged forward when a second Nadal stop volley fell short to give Wawrinka two break points in the fourth game, and when his forehand forced another error from the favourite, they upped the decibels appreciably.

Two aces helped Wawrinka to a 4-1 lead after 17 minutes, and whatever nerves he might have had surely now were quelled. As he would mention in his victory speech, he started like this against Djokovic in the fourth round last year, and lost; but he beat him this year. His self-belief looks to be properly embedded at last and it soared when a classic backhand volley gave him another break point in the sixth game. Nadal peppered that wing, though, then switched to the forehand, and held.

Nadal hit hard and deep but could not crack the Wawrinka serve, and needed to hold, with new balls, to stay in the set after half an hour – which he managed, an ace cancelling out a second double-fault. Wawrinka shanked a forehand but saved three break points, and took the set with an ace after 37 minutes. If they weren’t dancing in the streets of Macclesfield, they should have been.

He was going for it on nearly every point, mixing 12 clean winners and eight unforced errors in the first set, while risking all on his big serve, with only 11 of 28 efforts going in first time – and all of those taking the point. When he pierced his trademark backhand clear of Nadal to break him to love in the first game of the second set, there was a palpable feeling that this final was Wawrinka’s to lose. He was not hitting every ball with certainty, but enough to win big points and to trouble his opponent.

After hitting a horribly miscued shot into the lower netting at 30-15 in the third game, Nadal bent over in obvious discomfort, feeling his back. He held, but was not moving with great comfort.

He left the court for a medical timeout after 54 minutes, and Wawrinka had words with the chair umpire. There was some booing when he returned to the action after seven minutes and 15 seconds – a little longer than the time allowed. He looked to his box as Wawrinka hit another ace to hold to love for a 3-1 lead.

When it was his turn to serve, he was plopping the ball over the net at barely 70 miles an hour, then hit another double and was visibly suffering. Frustration spread across his face on the changeover, after Wawrinka took a 4-1 lead with a simple dink down the line.

Nadal called for the trainer, who went to work on his back as best he could in the time available, but he was now a sitting duck. Memories of retiring against Andy Murray in the quarter-finals here four years ago must have invaded his drowning thoughts as Wawrinka hit his seventh, eighth and ninth aces to lead 5-1.

Nadal held, somehow but, while his instinct was to fight, his body was telling him to quit. He put his head on his hands during the changeover, and Wawrinka spared him a glance. They are “very good friends”, the Swiss said beforehand. Nobody wanted to see the Spanish bull finish like this, even the beneficiary of his wounds. Nadal looked almost relieved when Wawrinka thrashed a 10th ace to take the second set.

The trainer returned to work on his back during the break, and Nadal got up slowly, even forgetting his towel as he re-entered. And then Nadal found something from deep in his soul, as Wawrinka’s level dipped, and he broke from nowhere to lead 2-0 in the third, then 4-1. Now the anxiety was with Wawrinka, who, in sight of the prize, shared the amazement of the crowd as Nadal raced to 5-2 and saved two break points to win the set and keep the match alive.

The fourth went with serve until the sixth game when Wawrinka drilled a beautiful forehand down the line to break, and again he edged closer to the championship. Could he hold his nerve against a rejuvenated Nadal when he had collapsed against the stricken version less than an hour before? Not the first time. He shanked a forehand high into the seats to hand him back three break points, then gifted Nadal the game with a woeful slap down the doubles ally.

Another twist in the eighth game arrived with a clipped forehand up the line – and Wawrinka was serving for the title – with new balls. Three decent serves, full of power and purpose, gave him three championship points. Heart thumping, he tried for an ace down the middle that just missed. The closing forehand wide of Nadal did not though.

(Guardian Service)