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Serena Williams wins third straight U.S. Open
Serena Williams, of the United States, holds up the championship trophy after defeating Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, during the championship match of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
NEW YORK
For the third year in a row, Serena Williams is the U.S. Open champion. Her 6-3, 6-3 win over 10th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki makes her the second woman to win this title six times, and the second to complete a three-peat. She also moves into second place on the all-time wins list, joining Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert with 18 Slam titles. Only one woman, Steffi Graf, has more.
Wearing a black and white leopard print outfit with a hot pink headband, Williams didn't seem bothered by the pressure of winning title No. 18. "Whatever happens, I'm just gonna have fun," she said in the tunnel, just before making her way onto the court. At match point, she threw her racket aside and collapsed on the court, looking as grateful as the first time she accomplished this feat.
"I have been trying to reach it for so long, since last year," she said after the match. "I didn't really think would I get there."
Williams held serve in the first game, then broke Wozniacki with the help of two double faults to take a 2-0 lead. From there, they traded breaks. Throughout marathon rallies, Wozniacki seemed on the defensive, standing more than two feet behind the line while Williams bounced in front of her line. In the fifth game, it was Williams double faulting twice as Wozniacki broke her. But she came right back, converting another break before holding serve at 4-2 and again at 5-3.
In the intermission, the scoreboard cameras panned the crowd, showing Spike Lee, Gladys Knight, Debra Messing, and about a dozen other stars in attendance, all hoping to see Williams make history.
By the second set, Wozniacki looked deflated. Williams again started with a break, for the 2-0 lead. It took Wozniacki until the ninth game, trailing 3-5, to hit a non-ace winner.
Williams, 32, had already been on the tour for a decade when Wozniacki, 24, turned pro. Winning the U.S. Open title last year made her the oldest woman to win in New York; she's already won more titles in her 30s than any other woman. Steffi Graf, by comparison, won all 22 of her titles before her 30th birthday.
Many wondered if her career was on the decline as she struggled throughout the 2014 season, failing to make the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in the first three opportunities this year. Despite her poor showings in the Slams, Williams won five singles events, a strong showing by most standards. But this was Serena, a woman who has dominated her sport for nearly 15 years and is thus held to a higher standard. She arrived in New York saying she was relaxed, but everyone else seemed to think she had something to prove.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/us-open-women-s-final-220221654.html
