WIMBLEDON MENS FINAL: Not since John McEnroe ushered Jimmy Connors around the Centre Court in 1984 has anyone had an easier Wimbledon final than Australian world number one Lleyton Hewitt. Hustling, chasing and always eager to dominate the point, Hewitt took just under two hours to finally crush Argentinian David Nalbandian 6-1, 6-3, 6-2. Eighteen years ago McEnroe destroyed his American rival 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.

The contrast of the two thumping victories could not have been greater: McEnroe's serve/volley game cut the grunting baseliner Connors apart. Hewitt, less the rapier and more the truncheon, wore Nalbandian down, forcing him to win a point three times before handing it over, and he finally broke the spirit of the 20-year-old in the third set for an inevitable win. Hewitt joins Rod Laver, John Newcombe and Pat Cash as Australian winners of the title since the game went open in 1968.

"I don't know what to say. I was serving for the match and I was thinking 'is this for real?'," said Hewitt. "I thought he was going to be nervous from the start and I knew that was an opportunity for me to get a little bit ahead."

It was not a classic men's final and far from the emotion-filled spectacle of last year when Goran Ivanisevic seized the trophy from Pat Rafter then roamed around the sprawling All England club throwing shirts to fans and declaring that it was all a dream from which he would soon awaken.

Perhaps it was the fact that Hewitt was so heavily fancied which leaned minds so heavily against the debutant Argentinian. The 21-year-old Australian had dropped only two sets over the fortnight, while Nalbandian, in his first-ever senior tournament on grass, had struggled for over three hours in his previous two five-set matches.

The final was the youngest of the Open era. Nalbandian is 20 years, six months and six days old, while Hewitt is 21 years, four months and 13 days; their combined total is a year younger than the 1992 final when Andre Agassi (22) beat Ivanisevic (20).

It gives Hewitt his second grand slam title after last year's US Open where he defeated Pete Sampras in three sets, while Nalbandian picks up the largest pay cheque of his career £262, 500.

Hewitt, for 13 hours and 48 minutes of tennis over two weeks, pockets £525,000.