NEW YORK - Two points from dropping another game to Andre Agassi, Roger Federer wondered if this was where it would all come to an end.

His unbelievable run at the Grand Slams. His record in finals. His unshakable dominance over everyone else out there and the massive psychological edge it adds.

"I actually could see myself losing," Federer said. "There were a few points I played there where I felt, `Uh-oh, it's gone.' And then I managed to get it back again and the title swam back into view."

Down 4-2 in the third set and two points from losing a fifth game, Federer showed again why he's the best player of his generation. Maybe ever. He ran off a quick four points on Agassi's serve, flipped the momentum of the match by blazing through a tiebreak with seven straight points and then steamrolled through the last set to capture the U.S. Open, his sixth Grand Slam title since June 2003.

"Other guys you play - I've played a lot of them - there's a safety zone, there's a place to get to, there's something to focus on. There's a way," Agassi said after Federer beat him 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-1.

"There's no such place like that with Roger," Agassi said. "He's the best I've played against."

Agassi has played against some of the game's greatest names - Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, to name only a few - but it's hard to argue with him. In a span of 27 months, Federer has already won enough Grand Slam titles to tie him with Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg and leave him one behind McEnroe and Mats Wilander.

Sampras holds the record with 14 Grand Slam titles. But at only 24, Federer might have a shot at that.

Equally impressive, Federer is 23-0 in finals over the last two years. He's never lost in a major final.

"I amaze myself that I can back it up one tournament after another, keep on playing well," Federer said. "I wonder why I always play so well, especially on the big occasions. It just seems to click for me."

Indeed, Federer seems to play his best when the stakes are highest.

For all of his supremacy this year, this was Agassi's Open. At 35, he was the oldest finalist at the Open in 31 years, and fans wanted nothing more than to see a dream fulfilled by watching him kiss the trophy.

Playing with the spirit of his youth and borrowed energy from the fans, Agassi overcame three straight five-setters for the first time in his career to reach the final. Fans greeted him with a standing ovation when he skipped onto the court before the match, and gave him several more when he made dazzling plays during the match.

Even Federer was caught up in the moment.

"He's one of the only living legends in tennis we still have," Federer said. "Him being toward the end of his career, me being on the top of my game and getting the chance to play him on such an occasion, that's what I mean about it being really special today.

"I couldn't speak too much looking into it because I still had to focus on the match. But I knew that this was going to be very special."

Agassi, only three months removed from a back injury that could have ended his career, played some of the best tennis in his career. The shaggy, highlighted hair has long since gone, and the rebel has softened into a proud family man. But for two hours Sunday, he was playing the kind of tennis that made his duels with Sampras so enthralling.

He was crafty and sharp, sometimes creeping five or 10 feet inside the baseline to surprise Federer with short-hop returns, sometimes serving and volleying. Agassi lobbed for some points, won others with drops. When Federer dumped a backhand into the net to give Agassi the break at 4-2, it seemed as if Agassi had done the impossible: Make the Maestro look mortal.

But Agassi knew better.

"Anything that you're trying to execute out there only lasts for a period of time until he makes an adjustment," Agassi said. "I had his back against the wall to some degree, but he just figured that to be a cue for him to do something else."

Federer asserted himself, forcing the action, going for winners more aggressively and dancing around the court with poise. He also found the powerful serve that had deserted him for most of the tournament.

After one exchange of breaks midway through the third set, the Swiss star powered his way through the tiebreak and through the fourth set.

"That fourth set getting away was really just a testament to his standard and how he can raise his game and why you can't give him a lead," Agassi said. "All the great players, you can't give them a lead. ... And he's definitely one of those."

Federer doesn't hesitate to claim the title of best player of his generation. He's won 10 titles this year and his 71-3 record is the most dominant by a man since John McEnroe went 82-3 in 1984. His 35th straight hard court victory also broke Sampras' mark, set twice, of 34 straight.

He's the first player in the Open era to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in consecutive years. He earned the $1.1 million top prize and distanced himself further from the rest of men's tennis world in the ATP Tour rankings.

But best ever? Not yet.

"I'm happy I have some records because it makes it more fun for me. Not only to play against the other guys, but sometimes to play against history," Federer said. "... To be compared to those (other players) is great. And it's still going, so I still have a chance to improve."