Roger Federer finished off the best season in the history of modern tennis with a flourish, beating Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-2 in a rain-shortened final at the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston. For the second straight year, Federer lost only one set in the round-robin tournament and didn’t lose a match. As the undefeated champion he took home $1.5 million, the largest prize of the season.

Once doubted for his ability to perform under pressure, Federer this year redefined domination. He became the first player since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three Grand Slams (the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open). In all, the world no. 1 took home 11 titles and lost only six matches against 74 victories. More remarkable still, he is undefeated in his last 13 finals.

“I never, ever thought of something like this,” Federer said of his season after sweeping aside Hewitt.

Alas, Hewitt had not only conceived of a dispiriting defeat like this one, but had suffered one at Federer’s hands in the U.S. Open final. That day, the Australian lost two sets at love and never seemed to have a chance. Yesterday may have looked slightly better on paper, but the former world no. 1 was no match for Federer.

The match began three hours late after a rain delay, the likes of which riddled the tournament the entire week. Tournament officials decided to reduce the match to best-of-three sets from best of five in light of the inclement weather.

Hewitt might as well have requested best-of-three points, anything to bring more luck into the equation. As well as he had been playing – including a straight-set semifinal victory over Andy Roddick – Hewitt could not find a way to put even an ounce of pressure on Federer.

Federer raced out to a 3-0 lead, losing only three points. At 5-2, the rain came again, delaying the match for more than an hour. From there, Federer made quick work of Hewitt, serving out the set and breaking twice in the second set for the win.

What was most striking throughout was Federer’s ability to outdo Hewitt in every facet of the game. As one would expect, he out-served Hewitt and hit the ball harder. But Federer also out rallied him from the baseline and covered more ground. In the second set, Federer even caught the speedy Hewitt off guard with a backhand drop shot winner from the baseline.

Hewitt attempted to change the pace of the match by approaching the net in the first set, but it wasn’t long before he found that any volleys left too far inside the sidelines would go whizzing past him. After the rain delay, Hewitt retreated to the baseline for the rest of the day, to no avail. He struggled mightily to hold his own serve and didn’t earn a single break point in the match.

This was the second meeting of the week between Federer and Hewitt. In the round-robin portion of the event, Federer won 6-3, 6-4.

Federer’s biggest challenge en route to the title came from Marat Safin, who arrived in Houston having won three tournaments since the U.S. Open, where he lost in the first round. In that match, Federer won the first set easily and then went down a break in the second before drawing even. He took the match in a thrilling tiebreak that spanned 28 points.

For Hewitt, a spot in the final here finished off a fine season that lifted him to third in the world rankings. He fell off considerably last year, when he concentrated more on the Davis Cup and played fewer tournaments.

Roddick, meanwhile, did not bring home a Grand Slam title this year and finished ranked no. 2. After winning the U.S. Open and the no. 1 ranking last year, this season was a bit of a letdown, but Roddick has one last chance to raise his spirits: In two weeks, he’ll lead the underdog United States team in the Davis Cup final against Spain in Seville. If the Americans can prevail on clay, Roddick might honestly be able to say that this season was as good as last year, or perhaps better.