Serena Williams wins 5th US Open title
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 9, 2013
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Serena Williams returns a shot to Victoria Azarenka in the US Open final. |
Serena Williams battled errors, the wind, nerves and Victoria Azarenka for 2 hours and 45 minutes Sunday, ultimately prevailing, 7-5, 6-7, 6-1, for her fifth career US Open title and 17th major championship, one fewer than Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time list.
It was the longest US Open women's final since 1980, and with the win, Serena also earned the largest paycheck in women's tennis history at $3.6 million – $2.6 million for her US Open win and an additional $1 million in bonus prize money for winning the Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge this summer.
Helped by nine aces, one at 126 mph, Williams improved to 67-4 with a career-best nine titles in 2013. Since a first-round exit at the 2012 French Open, Williams is 98-5 with 14 titles, winning four of the past six Grand Slam tournaments.
The rematch of the three-set 2012 final was a highly competitive affair between world No. 1 Serena and world No. 2 Azarenka, played on a day with a gusty wind in Arthur Ashe Stadium that played havoc with shots and serves, especially early for Serena.
After some early breaks, the two held serve to deep in the first set. Azarenka earned two set points on Serena's serve, up 5-4, but Serena fought them back to hold for 5-all. She kept the pressure on Azarenka in her next service game, gaining her first break point since the opening game with a forehand cross-court winner and scoring the pivotal break with a low shot that Azarenka hit into the net. The defending champion then consolidated the break with a hold at love to win the opening set.
Serena kept the pressure on to start the second, breaking in Azarenka's opening service game and running out to a 4-1 lead. But Azarenka kept fighting. The Belarusian broke back in the next game – matching the number of times Serena had been broken all tournament – with a return winner that skidded off the line, and she consolidated the break after the best rally of the match ended in a forehand winner perfectly hit to the line.
The set progressed on serve, with Serena stepping to the line serving up 5-4. But she uncharacteristically tight, pushing her backhand long to give Azarenka two break point chances, and the match knotted at 5-all when Serena hit another backhand long on break point.
Serena responded with an aggressive return game to break again and gain a 6-5 advantage. But she was again unable to convert, double faulting on break point to force a tiebreak. Serena took three leads in the tiebreak, but the errors creeped back in and Azarenka, who appeared calm and focused, earned two set points. A clearly frustrated Serena saved both when Azarenka netted two forehands, but she could not save a third when she hit another backhand long.
The third set — Williams' first three-setter of the entire tournament — proved easier. Williams broke Azarenka's serve twice (including once on an Azarenka double fault), and Williams finally successfully served out the match.
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