That’s not to take anything away from Jelena Jankovic, who played Serena in the real U.S. Open Women’s final Sunday tonight, but with her 6-4, 7-5 victory, Serena validated the belief that whoever won the sisters’ battle would end up holding the prized trophy at the end of the tournament.
It wasn’t easy. Jankovic kept coming back and didn’t give up. Serena didn’t lose a set in the tournament, and I thought, once she got up in the match that she would run away with it. That didn’t happen. Jankovic wasn’t bothered at all playing such a big final. She kept running and going for her shots, making Serena earn the win. It was a very good, high-quality match.
This was the ninth time since 1975 that a Grand Slam tournament final determined the No. 1 ranking, but it was the first time it involved two women who were not in the top spot going into the tournament. With the win, Serena becomes No. 1 six years after she last held the position.
Reaching the final, Serena became the first American to play for the title since 2002 when she defeated Venus for her second U.S. Open championship, 6-4, 6-3. This was her 10th U.S. Open, and the place where she won her first Grand Slam tournament in 1999 as a 17-year-old. Going into the final, she had a 46-7 record in New York.
Patient and smart
Serena played within herself. She didn’t over play shots. She was patient and very smart with the way she did things. Her serve was tough, and she moved and volleyed very well. She really showed that she is a fantastic athlete.
Jankovic, appearing in her fifth U.S. Open, was a semifinalist in 2006 and a quarterfinalist last year. Her overall record in New York was 18-4 prior to facing Serena. She had never reached a major singles final, but last year she won the Wimbledon mixed doubles with Jamie Murray, Andy’s brother.
Had she won, she would have become the third Serbian to be No. 1, joining Ana Ivanovic and Monica Seles, who represented Yugoslavia, but was born in Novi Sad, the second largest city in what is now Serbia.
Serena was playing her 12th Grand Slam tournament final, one behind her sister, Venus. This was the first time she had advanced to back-to-back finals at majors since the “Serena Slam,” when she won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. in 2002 and the Australian Open in 2003.
She was so solid that nothing distracted her. On her way to the title, Serena scored an interesting triple, defeating Kateryna Bondarenko (whose sister Alona, Venus defeated) and Venus and Dinara Safina (whose brother is Marat). Even more noteworthy, a Williams had never defeated her sister before the semifinals and gone on to win the tournament.
getCSS("3053751")Slide show
Sister showdown set: Venus vs. Serena
GARCIA STILL CONFIDENT
