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Top seed Novak Djokovic defeated No. 2 seed Roger Federer 6-4, 6-3 in their 39th meeting in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia final. Djokovic pulled the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series to 19-20, clinching his fourth Rome crown and 24th at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level.

Read: Roger vs. Novak The Rivalry

Federer and Djokovic sit in second on the ‘Most Open Era Match-Ups’ list and are now just four meetings behind Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal in first.

Here is how the match was won...

SET 1 - Djokovic 6-4
A gladiatorial Roman clash fitting of the ATP World Tour's top two players, both Djokovic and Federer entered the iconic Foro Italico eager to notch another victory in their fierce rivalry.

The top seeded Serb witnessed a slip in return efficiency this week in the Italian capital, marked by a combined 46 per cent break points won, and the question would be whether he could stem a dominant serving run from the second seeded Swiss. Djokovic had boasted an average 44 per cent total return points won entering the week, yet he has failed to crack the 40 per cent mark in three of his four matches in Rome.

The ball was flying off the Centrale clay in the early stages on Sunday, with Djokovic capturing his first 10 of 11 points on serve. The World No. 1 had grinded for a combined seven hours, 25 minutes on court entering Sunday's final, while Federer spent three hours fewer in reaching his fourth title match in Rome, so holding in a quick, efficient manner would be critical for Djokovic.

The Serb's serve came under fire at 4-all as Federer conjured a 0/30 lead, and after forcing the game to deuce, he would get his first break chance. But a methodical Djokovic would hit his spots to hold, edging ahead 5-4.

The top seed pulled to within two points of grabbing the opener at 15/30 in the next game, but Federer quelled any thoughts of a break....for the moment. At deuce, Djokovic rifled a return winner that clipped the edge of the tramline and would convert on his first set point to wrap up the opener in 39 minutes. He struck 11 winners and won 89 per cent of first serve points.

SET 2 - Djokovic 6-3
For the second straight year, Djokovic entered the Rome final having dropped three sets. Last year, he found his range and rhythm to stave off an offensive onslaught from Rafael Nadal.

Against Federer, he refused to let his foot off the gas as the second set commenced. The Swiss would have his moments of brilliance, powering a backhand winner down the line to save a second break point in the second game, but it was not enough. Djokovic took the early lead with a break for 2-0 and consolidated for a three-game advantage behind a total 30-12 baseline points won.

Federer was ruthless off the ground against Stan Wawrinka in Saturday's semi-finals, but with Djokovic standing tall and taking the ball early, he found himself struggling to make inroads from the back of the court. Serving at an indomitable 73 per cent for the match, Djokovic secured his fourth Rome trophy in 76 minutes as Federer struck a forehand wide on match point.