The US Open concluded fourteen days of exciting tennis this weekend with their two most popular matches, the Women’s Championship Finals on Saturday and the Men’s Championship Finals on Sunday.
It was an international affair on the grand court of Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows. The women’s Open singles winner, Angelique Kerber hailing from Germany. Stan Wawinka, the men’s Open singles champion hailing from Switzerland. Kerber’s opponent, Karolina Pliskova is from Czechoslovakia and Wawrinka’s opponent, Novak Djokovic who won the US Open finals last year and in 2011, represents Serbia.
Wawrinka, 31, beat Djokavic in a three hour, fifty-five minute match that could have gone even longer. This is his third Grand Slam. He’s won the Australian Open in 2014, and the French Open in 2015.
Kerber, 28, also won the Australian Open this year and is now the women’s new number 1, the position held by Serena Williams for 186 straight weeks.
Addressing the audience in Ashe Stadium after her victory, Kerber talked about her hopes as a child of one day winning, one day being number one. “All the dreams came true this year,” she said. “I’m trying to enjoy all the moments on court, and off court.”
The championship winners each received 3.5 million dollars and the tradional silver cup. The runner-ups took home $1,750,000.
Each of the matches were preceded by doubles championships. The men’s on Saturday won by Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. The women’s doubles finals won by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova on Sunday. Prize money? $625,000.
Saturday’s runners up were the team of Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo García-López (men’s doubles), both from Spain, and the team of Caroline Garcia and Khristine Mladenovic (women’s doubles) on Sunday. Each team split $310,000.
