WILLIAMS WINS OPEN TENNIS
After coming within two points of defeat, Williams wins
NEW YORK — Serena Williams turned things around just in time.
Two points from defeat, Williams regained her composure and strokes, coming back to win the last four games and beating top-ranked Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, Sunday night for her fourth championship at the U.S. Open and 15th Grand Slam title overall.
“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.” She 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.
Add the fact that Williams had not dropped a set in the tournament, losing only 19 games in her six matches before Sunday. It was all part of a tremendous run she has put together since her loss at the French Open in late May, the American’s only firstround exit in 49 career major tournaments. Since then, she is 26-1, winning Wimbledon and the London Olympics.
There hadn’t been a threeset 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.
“Serena deserves the win. She showed how true of a champion she is,” said Azarenka, who managed 13 winners, 31 fewer than Williams. “I definitely gave it all today. Stepping out of this court today, I will have no regrets.”
Azarenka had not dropped a three-set match this season before Sunday, going 12-0 in matches that went the distance, including victories against defending Open champion Sam Stosur in the quarterfinals and ’06 champion Maria Sharapova in the semifinals.
As the third set began, Williams’ mother, Oracene Price, told her from the stands, “Settle down.”
But that did not happen right away.
When Williams doublefaulted, slapped a bad backhand into the net and pushed a forehand long, Azarenka broke at love for a 4-3 edge, then followed up by holding for 5-3. That left her one game from the championship.
Azarenka was two points away at 30-all with the fourthseeded Williams serving in the next game, but couldn’t convert. And, when Azarenka served for the victory at 5-4, she showed some jitters in what was her second career Grand Slam final.
Azarenka made three errors in that game, including a forehand into the net that let Williams break her to 5-all. Williams kept whatever excitement she might have felt contained, face straight as possible, while her older sister, seven-time major champion Venus, smiled and clapped in the stands.
That was all part of a key stretch in which Williams took 10 of 12 points to go ahead, 6-5. She broke again to win, dropping onto her back on the court after Azarenka sent a backhand long to end it.
Azarenka slumped in her changeover chair, a white towel covering her head, as Williams kept saying, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!” while scurrying over to share the joy with her mother and big sister.
Williams, who turns 31 Sept. 26, is the first 30-year-old woman to win the U.S. Open since Martina Navratilova in ’87.
Williams won her first major championship at age 17 at the ’ 99 Open. Winning titles 13 years apart at the same Grand Slam represents the longest span of success in the pro era, which began in ’68. Navratilova (Wimbledon, ’78 and ’90) and Chris Evert (French Open, ’74, ’86) had the longest previous spans of 12 years.
In the men’s final today, defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia will face Olympic champion Andy Murray of Britain. It will be fifth consecutive year the tournament will conclude Monday instead of Sunday because of bad weather.
Djokovic beat David Ferrer of Spain, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, in a semifinal that was halted in the first set because of impending rain Saturday and wrapped up Sunday.
Worries about a potentially dangerous storm led the tournament to postpone the Williams-Azarenka match, making this the fourth time in the past five years that the U.S. Open women’s final was pushed from Saturday to Sunday.