Serena Williams is once again the U.S. Open champ, defeating Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 in a match that—due to the high winds and a strong, determind opponent—proved to be her most challenging one of the tournament.
Williams won the first set in a 7-5 tiebreaker. Azarenka fought back to win the second set in a 6-7 tiebreaker. She forced a third set. Williams regained her composure to win the third and final set 6-1 and her fifth U.S. Open. She has now won 17 Grand Slam tournaments.
Williams was the dominant factor at the U.S. Open, defeating Francesca Schiavone, Carla Suarez Navarro, Sloane Stephens and Li Na on the road to her championship win. Celebrities in attendance to cheer on Williams to her U.S. Open victory included former President Bill Clinton, Star Jones, Amar’e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks and Gladys Knight.
When Williams was asked what it was like to meet Clinton, she replied, “I have met him several times. We reminisced about when I was a teenager and how he first saw me coming to the White House and several times at the U.S. Open, so it was interesting because we actually have a history. That’s kind of unique to have a history with a former president of the United States of America.”
After her championship win, the sound system at Arthur Ashe Stadium played the song, “Party Like It’s 1999,” which was the year Williams won her first U.S. Open at 17 years old. When Azarenka was asked to describe her and Williams’ determination once the match got going, she responded, “Well, I think it was rising from the first point the — tension, the battle, the determination; it was rising to the level, and yeah, it was a great match.”
Rafael Nadal captured the men’s final, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 for his second U.S. Open title.