NEW YORK -- What's a U.S. Open without a
little Serena Williams drama? This time it was contained to the court.
Two points from defeat after pulverizing
the field for two weeks, Williams capped a dominating summer and earned
player-of-the-year bragging rights by beating No. 1 Victoria Azarenka on Sunday
in the U.S. Open final 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
Fourth-ranked Williams, who won singles and
doubles titles at Wimbledon and the London Olympics, needed her full mental
reserves to claw back from a 3-5 the final-set deficit to win her fourth
championship in New York and 15th overall major.
It was the first women's final to go the
distance since 1995. At 2 hours and 18 minutes it was the longest in time
duration since 1981.
Reigning Australian Open champ Azarenka
refused to bow and played bold tennis after Williams raced to an early lead.
The 23-year-old from Belarus served for the match at 5-4.
But Williams locked in to her mental toughness,
breaking back and winning the last four games and bringing the 23,771 fans in
Arthur Ashe Stadium to their feet.
When Azarenkaâ??s final backhand sailed
long Williams fell to her back fully extended, dropped her racket and covered
her face with her hands. She leaped several times in the air on her way to
shake hands at the net.
"Oh my god," said Williams in her
on-court speech. "I honestly can't believe I won. I really was preparing
my runner-up speech, because I thought, 'Man, she's playing so great.â?? "
Williams turns 31 this month but shows no
sign of slowing down.
After coming back from nearly a yearlong
absence in June 2011 from a series of injuries and medical scares, including
two foot surgeries and a hematoma in her stomach, the American is playing some
of her best tennis.
"I cannot believe that she will lose
her motivation," said Patrick Mouratoglou, who runs a tennis academy
outside of Paris and who started working with Williams on an informal basis
after she lost in the first round of the French Open. "She really feels
she can win every tournament. This feeling keeps her motivated."
Williams, who didnâ??t drop a set until the
final, promised to be on her best behavior after tirade-marred exits in her
last two trips to New York.
Called for a foot fault in the third game
of the second set on Sunday -- the same infraction that sent her into a
profanity-laced tirade in an ugly 2009 semifinal defeat -- Williams didnâ??t
flinch (though she did glare at the linesman on her walk back to the changeover
chair).
At 5-5 in the deciding set, Williams even
applauded her opponent after a precisely angled backhand passing shot.
Williams improved to 10-1 against Azarenka.
With 15 major titles, she is in sixth place and trails Martina Navratilova and
Chris Evert by three.
"For me she is the greatest player of
all time," said Azarenka, who said she had no regrets after leaving it all
out on the court. "She took the game to the next level."
Azarenka, who will remain No. 1 in the
world despite the loss, won the Australian Open in January during a 26-match
winning streak to open the season.
"Serena deserves the win. She showed
how true of a champion she is," Azarenka said. "I definitely gave it
all today. Stepping out of this court today, I will have no regrets."
Azarenka hadn't dropped a three-set match
all season until Sunday, going 12-0 in matches that went the distance,
including victories over defending U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur in the
quarterfinals and 2006 champion Maria Sharapova in the semifinals.
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