MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic returned to his dominant best to win his third consecutive Australian Open title, denying Andy Murray a second major championship with a 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 victory Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena.

The top-ranked Djokovic is the first man in the Open era to win three straight Australian titles — nine others have won back-to-back but were unable to win three in a row.