Serena ‘shocked’ she pulled it out
NEW YORK — Finally tested, even trailing, at the U.S. Open, Serena Williams turned things around just in time.
Two points from defeat, Williams suddenly regained her composure and her strokes, coming back to win the last four games and beat topranked Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 on Sunday night for her fourth championship at Flushing Meadows and 15th Grand Slam title.
“I honestly can’t believe I won. I really was preparing my runner-up speech, because I thought, ‘Man, she’s playing so great,” Williams said during the trophy presentation after the 2-hour, 18-minute match, adding: “I’m really shocked.” Might be the only one. After all, what really was stunning was that Azarenka made things as interesting as they were, given that she came into the day 1-9 against Williams over their careers.
Add in that Williams hadn’t dropped a set, losing only 19 games through six matches before Sunday. Since her loss in the first round at the French Open in late May, she is 26-1, also winning Wimbledon and the London Olympics.
There hadn’t been a three-set women’s final in New York since 1995, and Williams came through with a late charge to become the first woman to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the same season since a decade ago, when — yes, that’s right — she did it.
In the men’s final Monday, defending champion Novak Djokovic will face Olympic champion Andy Murray. It’s the fifth consecutive year the tournament will conclude on Monday instead of the scheduled Sunday because of bad weather.
Djokovic beat David Ferrer 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in a semifinal that was halted in the first set on Saturday and wrapped up Sunday.