Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Novak Djokovic captured a mens Open Era-record fifth Australian Open title on Sunday by defeating rival Andy Murray in the final in Melbourne. The world No. 1 great secured his fourth Aussie title in five years by handling the sixth-seeded Murray 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0 in 3 hours, 39 minutes at Rod Laver Arena. This was the first time that a mens Aussie final ended with a love set. It marked Djokovics eighth career Grand Slam title in 15 major finals. Hes also the reigning Wimbledon champ. Djokovic joined Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi an eight-time major champ in the Open Era. The great Djokovic also joined Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer as the only men in the Open Era to play in five finals at the Aussie Open. He has won all five of his finals here, including three now against Andy Murray, who also gave way to the Serb in the 2011 and 2013 finals, as well as a semi here in 2012. Djokovic and Murray are the only pair in the Open Era to contest three Aussie Open title tilts. Djokovic snuck out the ultra-tight 72-minute opening set via tiebreak before Murray returned the favor in a grueling 80-minute second. Both stanzas featured fierce ball striking and lengthy, physical rallies. But the match would take a turn for Djokovic in the third set. After trailing 0-2, he broke Murray to even the third at 2-all, consolidated the break with a hold, and then simply managed to cruise from there. The Serbian stalwart won 12 of the final 13 games, including nine in a row to seal the deal in Melbourne. The match came to a close when a weary Murray netted one final backhand. Djokovic broke Murray a whopping nine times, while the British star settled for five breaks in a losing effort. Murray only managed to win 14 of his 41 second-serve points for a paltry 34 percent. The mighty Djokovic is now 12-0 versus Murray after winning the first set of their encounters. Firstly, I want to return the favor to congratulate Andy for a great tournament. Bad luck tonight, Djokovic said. But most importantly I want to congratulate you and Kim [Sears] on your engagement. I wish you a wonderful wedding and lots of kids. To my team, who are with me through good and bad times. They tolerate a lot from me both on and off the court. They sacrifice a lot, added the Serb. Capturing his first Grand Slam title since becoming a father, Djokovic said: Its slightly different thinking for me now since I became a father and a husband. A protester was stopped on court by security during the second set, causing a brief delay in play. Tournament organizers said two people were arrested by police. Security responded immediately. Both were quickly removed with minimal disruption to play, tournament organizers said. Security guards caught one court invader, who was wearing a white shirt with the message Australia Open for Refugees, near the baseline during a changeover after the seventh game of the second set. The players were surrounded by security staff while stadium officials rushed into action. A group of other people who had unfurled a large banner with the same message was escorted out of Laver Arena. Djokovic improved to 16-8 lifetime against his fellow 27-year-old Murray, including 5-2 at Grand Slam events, and the Serb is now 3-2 in their career Grand Slam finals. Djokovic is also now 5-2 versus Murray in best-of-five-set matches. Murray had been 5-4 against Djokovic in their overall career finals matchups prior to Sunday. Murray said the Aussie has been the most consistent major of my career, but I just havent been able to win it. Ill try and come back next year and have a different outcome in the final, he added. Djokovic improved to 49-22 in his overall career finals, while Murray dropped to 31-15, including 2-6 at the majors. Djokovic now owns 50 career match wins at the Aussie, where only Federer (75-12) and Edberg (56-10) have secured more victories at this hardcourt major in the Open Era. The amazing Djokovic has won his last 10 matches against fellow Top-10 players. Djokovic claimed a first-place check worth just over $2.4 million, while Murray settled for $1.2 million as the bridesmaid. Reds Jerseys China .S. President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday -- a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown. Dan Driessen Jersey . Andrews, Scotland - Oliver Wilson fired a final- round, 2-under 70 on Sunday and he held on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by one shot. https://www.cheapredsjerseys.us/ .C. - The Panthers will be without starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei for Saturday nights NFC divisional playoff game against Seattle after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a broken bone in his foot. Cincinnati Reds Store .Y. - For once, Clayton Kershaw was glad to see a long shutout streak end. Sam Crawford Jersey . The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday.Morgantown, WV (SportsNetwork.com) - Devin Williams contributed 18 points with eight rebounds in 17th-ranked West Virginias 77-58 win over Texas Tech on Saturday. Daxter Miles Jr. chipped in with 12 points and Juwan Staten scored 11 with five assists for the Mountaineers (18-3, 6-2 Big 12), who have won three straight and four of their last five. Robert Turner supplied 18 points for the Red Raiders (11-11, 1-8), while Aaron Ross and Isaiah Manderson went for 13 and 10, respectively, off the bench in the loss. Texas Tech, which was manhandled by Oklahoma on Wednesday, has dropped eight of its last nine. The Mountaineers opened up a 9-2 lead to begin the game, but Texas Tech worked its way back midway through the half. After Mandersons dunk cut the Red Raiders deficit to 17-14, West Virginia ran off 13 straight to take control. Texas Tech did not back down, hhowever, answering with a 14-4 burst as Turners three-point play made it a six-point spread and it trailed 37-31 at halftime.dddddddddddd The Mountaineers locked down on defense out of the break and regained a comfortable advantage once again. Williams scored the first five points of the half, then Miles capped what turned into a 16-2 run with a layup that stretched the margin to 53-33. West Virginia limited the Red Raiders to 38.1 percent shooting in the second half and had no problem closing out its struggling opponent. Game Notes West Virginia is 7-1 against Texas Tech in the series ... The Mountaineers made 48.1 percent of their shots, including 40.9 percent from beyond the arc ... The Red Raiders return home to play Kansas State Wednesday, while West Virginia travels to Oklahoma on Tuesday. ' ' '