Serena Williams beats Victoria Azarenka to win fourth US Open title

NEW YORK: Serena Williams captured her 15th Grand Slam title and fourth career US Open crown with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory Sunday over World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.

In the first three-set final at the US Open since 1995, American fourth seed Williams joined her sister Venus and Steffi Graf as the only women to win Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open in the same year.


Pushed to her limit for the only time in the Flushing Meadows fortnight, Williams was down a break twice in the third set but battled back to win after two hours and 18 minutes when Azarenka swatted a backhand long. "I honestly can't believe I won," Williams said. "I was preparing my runner-up speech. I'm so shocked. It's remarkable."

Williams, who turns 31 on September 26, became the second-oldest US Open women's champion in the Open era. Australian Margaret Court was one month past her 31st birthday when she won the 1973 title.

Not since Martina Navratilova in 1987 had a woman won the US Open title past her 30th birthday.


Taking home a top prize of $1.9 million, Williams won her 45th career title after finishing second to Australia's Samantha Stosur in 2011 following a year of health problems that included blood clots on her lungs. Williams won prior US Open titles in 1999, 2002 and 2008 and added Grand Slam crowns at the 2002 French Open, the 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010 Australian Opens and Wimbledon in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010 and 2012.


Olympic bronze medalist Azaranka, whose 1-9 record against Williams in prior matches included losses in this year's Olympic and Wimbledon semifinals, won her first Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open.


But no women's top seed has won a US Open title since Justine Henin in 2007 and none has won a Grand Slam title since Serena Williams in 2010 at Wimbledon. "Serena deserves to win. She showed how true a champion she is," Azarenka said. "I definitely gave it all today. Stepping off this court I will have no regrets." Williams, in a third set at the US Open for the first time since 2006, exchanged early breaks with Azarenka in the final set.


Azarenka, unbeaten in 12 prior three-set matches this year, broke Williams at love for a 4-3 lead, but was broken back when she served for the match in the 10th game, netting a forehand to pull Williams level at 5-5. The American held serve and then watched as Azarenka twice hit errant shots when she was a point from forcing the first third-set tie-breaker in a US Open women's final since 1985. Williams then won on her first match-point chance.


The 13-year gap between Williams winning her first Slam title at age 17 at the US Open and now marks the longest span between first and most recent titles in US Open history and for any Grand Slam in the Open era that began in 1968.


No US Open women's final had gone to a third set since Steffi Graf went the distance to defeat Monica Seles 7-6 (8/6), 0-6, 6-3 some 17 years ago.


Williams stretched her match-win streak against World No. 1 players to five in a row, last losing to a rankings leader in 2007 when Justine Henin beat her, and 15 for her career, three shy of Navratilova's all-time record.


It was the fourth time Williams defeated a World No. 1 in a Grand Slam final after Martina Hingis in the 1999 US Open, Venus Williams in 2002 Wimbledon and Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open.

We gave it everything: Leander Paes

 

NEW YORK: He missed out on a third US Open men's doubles title but Indian tennis star Leander Paes was far from dejected as he insisted that he and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek gave all that they had in the final clash against champions Mike and Bob Bryan.

Fifth seeds Paes and Stepanek lost 6-3 6-4 to the second-seeded Bryan brothers in the summit clash on Friday.

Paes was equally complimentary of both his partner and his opponent.


"Even though we got beaten today by one of the greatest teams of all time, my team and Radek's team came out and brought everything they had to this tournament," Paes said.


"I can guarantee you we will be giving it everything we have every single day for the rest of the year," he added.

Paes felt the Bryans produced a magical performance to clinch the title.


"These guys always bring magic to the court," said 39-year-old. "But we put it on the line today and we will come back and keep doing it."


Paes has won two US Open men's doubles title in 2006 (with Martin Damm) and 2009 (with Lukas Dlouhy), as well as a mixed doubles title in 2008 (with Cara Black).


The win was a measure of revenge for the Bryans who lost to Paes-Stepanek in the finals of the Australian Open earlier this year.

"I think they started really well," Stepanek said. "They were all over our serve from the beginning and making life very difficult for us out there. They were the better team today, so they deserve the win."

The Bryan brothers won their previous US Open titles together in 2005, 2008 and 2010. In addition, Bob has won four US Open mixed doubles title while Mike has one to his name.


The brothers will now head to Spain with the rest of the US Davis Cup team to do battle next weekend against David Ferrer and the rest of the Spanish Cup team in a semifinal tie.

Azarenka scrapes past Stosur to enter semis

Victoria Azarenka will remain world number one after knocking holder Samantha Stosur out in the quarterfinals of the US Open 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) on Tuesday.

Azarenka will play a semifinal against the winner from 2006 winner Maria Sharapova and French 11th seed Marion Bartoli, with the match interrupted by rain as Sharapova trailed 4-0.

Attempts by beleaguered organisers at the only one of the four Grand Slams without either a showcase court roof or plans for one, went for nought, as weather produced four interruptions over 10 hours of attempted play.

Ferrer in quarters

Holder Novak Djokovic had just gotten started 2-0 over Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in their fourth round match when they were called off court.

Andy Roddick remained alive at his retirement event after starting a tiebreaker with Juan Del Potro 6-6, 1-0. Serb Janko Tipsarevic led German Philipp Kohlschreiber 5-2.

Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer got in a trip to the quarters, beating Richard Gasquet 7-5, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 before more bad weather arrived in the evening.

“There’s always going to be disappointment when you lose in the quarters of the US Open, but I have to say I’m really pleased with the way I played,” said Stosur. “It was a really, really good match, and there was, what, a point or two in it.

“I’m really happy with the way I played out there, and I gave it everything I had.

“It’s been a rough year; I came off a pretty rough spot before coming to the US hard court season (Olympic opening loss). I have really been able to turn my form around really quickly and come here to New York and play great all of my matches.”

Azarenka was thrilled to get through what she called a battle.

“I have no words. We both showed some excellent tennis. You could feel the pressure all the time.

“Being first time in the semifinals in the US Open is an incredible feeling for me. Definitely I don’t want to stop. I really want it bad.

“I’m going to do absolutely everything I have to give it all here. “She really pushed me. I had to dig deep. We fought really hard.

It was always somebody had to grab the opportunity, you know, to provoke mistakes. The quality of tennis was really high, and it was tense because it could go either way.” 

Maria Sharapova ends last-eight drought at US Open

NEW YORK: Maria Sharapova reached the US Open quarterfinals for the first time since her 2006 championship run with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Russian compatriot Nadia Petrova on Sunday.


And defending champion Samantha Stosur of Australia set up a last-eight showdown with top seed Victoria Azarenka as both captured fourth-round triumphs on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts at the year's last Grand Slam tournament.


Third seed Sharapova, who completed a career Grand Slam by capturing the French Open title last June, rallied after twice dropping four games in a row and having to sit through a 73-minute rain delay.

"I'm so happy to be in the quarters," Sharapova said. "It has been so many years and it's a great stage to be at."


Seventh seed Stosur squandered eight match points but finally subdued stubborn British teen prodigy Laura Robson 6-4, 6-4 in 98 minutes.

She advanced to a quarter-final against an opponent she has never defeated, World No. 1 Azarenka of Belarus, who ousted Georgia's Anna Tatishvili 6-2, 6-2, to reach her first US Open quarter-final.

"As defending champion she's going to be really motivated. I'm motivated as well," Azarenka said. "It's my first quarter-final at the US Open and I'm really looking forward to it."


Sharapova will next face French 11th seed Marion Bartoli, who beat Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon winner, 1-6, 6-2, 6-0, to book her first trip to the US Open quarter-finals at her 11th attempt.


"I'm speechless and that doesn't happen very often," Bartoli said. "It has been my dream to play well in New York. It's one of the best matches of my season. I was moving so well. I was seeing so well on the court."

Sharapova leads Bartoli 4-0 in their career rivalry, having never dropped a set to her French rival with her most recent triumph in a 2010 Cincinnati quarter-final.


But it almost fell apart against Petrova when she surrendered a break in the last game of the second set and the second game of the third set just before rain arrived.

That sent the players back to the locker room, where Sharapova spoke to coach Thomas Hogstedt.


"He told me to get my act together. That was quite important," Sharapova said. "The beginning of the third was quite sloppy. He just told me to fight. And I talked to my dad and he said got to keep fighting. So I did."


Sharapova broke back in the first game after play resumed and broke again in the seventh game, pumping her fists with every point and again after taking the match when Petrova netted a forehand after two hours and 14 minutes.

Petrova, who fell to 1-9 all-time against Sharapova, failed in her bid to match her best US Open runs from 2004 and 2005 when she reached the semi-finals.

Stosur, Australia's first women's Grand Slam champion since 1980, eliminated Robson, the first British woman in the last 16 at the US Open since 1991.

"I'm playing really well," Stosur said. "I'm glad to get another match. I'm happy to be into the quarters again."

Stosur has lost all six career meetings with top seed Azarenka, never taking a set off the reigning Australian Open champion. Azarenka's most recent victory over Stosur came in last February's Doha final.


"There's a few things I've learned over those matches that I can put into play and have a much better match and hopefully a very good one," Stosur said.

"You have to be 100 percent prepared as soon as you serve, have your game plan and stick to it."

Robson, an 18-year-old from England ranked 89th, had sent three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters into retirement and 2011 French Open winner Li Na out of the event in the previous two rounds.

But the youngest woman in the world's top 100 finally faltered under the pressure of the reigning queen of the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.

"Definitely disappointed. I felt like I didn't play as well as I did in my last three matches," she said. "I just hit too many unforced errors."

Azarenka, who won her first Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open, has now cracked the last eight in every Grand Slam event.

It will be Azarenka's fifth quarter-final in the past seven Slams. She can ensure she stays atop the rankings next week by reaching the final, but first she must maintain her mastery of Stosur.

"She's very dangerous," Azarenka said. "What she did here last year was absolutely amazing. It's definitely going to be a very difficult match.

Bartoli denied left-hander Kvitova her first trip to the last eight after she had been the only player to reach the quarter-finals in this year's three prior Slams.

Sharapova advances to fourth round at US Open

NEW YORK: Third seed Maria Sharapova won 12 of the last 13 points of her match on Friday to defeat Mallory Burdette 6-1, 6-1 and advance to the fourth round of the US Open.

Sharapova, who completed the career Grand Slam earlier this year at the French Open, needed only 58 minutes at 90-degree Arthur Ashe Stadium to wrap up the win over Burdette.

Sharapova has not been tested so far this year at Flushing Meadows, losing a total of seven games over her first three matches.

Since winning the US Open in 2006, this is only the second time Sharapova has advanced to the round of 16.

Sharapova later said she is no longer engaged to professional basketball player Sasha Vujacic.

The four-time Grand Slam title winner said their relationship has been over "since the end of spring, actually."

Added Sharapova: "It was obviously a challenging decision, you know, from both of our ends."

Word of their engagement came in October 2010, when Vujacic said he had proposed on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting at a friend's barbecue.

The Slovenian guard was a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004, and played for them until being traded to the New Jersey Nets in the 2010-11 season, then left the NBA to play in Turkey.

Novak Djokovic rolls on in New York

Defending champion Novak Djokovic needed only 99 minutes to win and didn’t face a single break point as he beat Rogerio Dutra Silva at the US Open on Friday, breezing into the third round.

As Djokovic blasted past the Brazilian, three other former champions also advanced - Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro and Lleyton Hewitt.

Roddick, having announced this tournament will be his last, dominated Australian Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, ensuring his career stretches into at least one more match.

Asked whether he got emotional while preparing for what could have been his final appearance, Roddick said - “I’ve been trying to be good all day. Had a rough patch there, about 15 minutes before the match. Made the mistake of walking by one of the TVs while they were doing slow, dramatic things. I assume it was set to an ‘80s ballad. It got me a little bit.”

Not only was Tomic outclassed, but by the late stages, TV commentator John McEnroe said the Australian maybe should be fined for lack of effort.

Tomic initially responded casually, saying - “He’s probably right.” But when pressed some more, Tomic bristled at a reporter and said, “That’s how I play. If you think that’s that, it’s up to you. What is your name?” When the reporter told him, Tomic replied - “I’ll remember you.”

Del Potro downed Ryan Harrison of the United States, 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 while Hewitt showed his trademark grit to outlast Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4.

Ferrer, Isner through

David Ferrer progressed to round three by beating Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (12).

Among the other leading men’s seeds, Janko Tipsarevic comfortably beat Brian Baker of the United States, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 while leading local hope John Isner suffered a rare tiebreaker loss but still defeated Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.

Li Na exits

On the women’s side, the main upset was Laura Robson beating China’s Li Na 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2. Having ended the career of Kim Clijsters in the previous round, Britain’s Robson can make it a hat-trick over former grand slam tournament winners when she faces defending champion Sam Stosur in the next round.

“I have had a fairly tough draw, haven’t I?” Robson said.

Ranked 89th, Robson had never been past the second round of a major tournament or knocked off a top 10 opponent before this year’s Open.

“I have had lots of tough matches against some very experienced opponents, so the way that I see it, it was time to start winning a few of them,” Robson said.

The seventh-seeded Stosur was pushed for the first time in this year’s Open by No. 31 seed American Varvara Lepchenko, but the Australian dominated the second set for a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory.

Stosur has never faced Robson or really watched her play for long.

“She’s full of confidence and had two very, very good wins,” Stosur said.

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka kept up her imperious form by sweeping past Zheng Jie of China 6-0, 6-1 to move into the fourth round. The Belarusian has lost only six games over her three matches.

Four-time major champ Maria Sharapova, the No. 3 seed, ended the surprise run of Mallory Burdette, needing 58 minutes to win 6-1, 6-1. Fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champ, also advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over France’s Pauline Parmentier.

Federer repeats history with win over Phau

History repeated itself for Roger Federer as the top seed beat Bjorn Phau 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 to advance at the US Open 13 years after first defeating the German journeyman. Federer dismissed his second round opponent on Thursday without ceremony to win his 23rd night match at Flushing Meadows without a loss.

Phau remained without a career place in a Grand Slam third round after his defeat in 90 minutes, ended with a stinging ace. Federer is bidding for an 18th singles trophy at a major tournament and is to clash next with Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, a winner over Albert Ramos 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

“It was a great match for me,” Federer said. “Bjorn had some incredible shot-making. The next match with Verdasco will be another tough one. He’s a guy who has been around a long time and had some big wins.

He’s a lefty, so that makes thing different.”

Tsonga falls

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga became the highest seeded player to fall so far at the US Open when the fifth-seeded Frenchman went down 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Slovak Martin Klizan.

Another veteran, the revitalised 32-year-old James Blake, rolled back the clock with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 hammering of Marcel Granollers, hitting 90 per cent of his first serve points and producing 29 winners in the rout. Americans Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey both reached the third round while teenaged compatriot Jack Sock put his best foot forward in a defeat of Flavio Cipolla 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

Spanish 11th seed Nicolas Almagro needed five sets in a week already full of marathons, beating German Philipp Petzschner 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Number 12 Croatian Marin Cilic defeated German Daniel Brands 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 7-5. Canadian 15th seed Milos Raonic sent over 30 aces in his defeat of Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Ivanovic, Serena progress

In the women’s draw, second seed Agnieszka Radwanska needed to win the last 11 games against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 to ensure her trip into the third round.

Wimbledon champion Serena Williams defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-2, 6-4 while French Open finalist Sara Errani rolled over Vera Dushevina 6-0, 6-1. Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic put two match wins together for the first time in a month with the former number one advancing 6-2, 6-2 over Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson.

Ivanovic was joined as a winner by 13th seed Dominika Cibulkova, who beat young Serb Bojana Jovanovski 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3), and Russian 14th seed Maria Kirilenko, a winner over Greta Arn of Hungary 6-3, 6-2.

Federer, Murray could have rematch in US Open semis

NEW YORK: Roger Federer and Andy Murray could meet in a US Open semifinal that would be a rematch of their recent finals at Wimbledon and the London Olympics.

The top-seeded Federer and No. 3 Murray were placed in the same section of the field during Thursday's draw at Flushing Meadows for the year's last Grand Slam tournament. Play begins Monday.

Federer beat Murray in July for his record-tying seventh championship at the All England Club; Murray beat Federer this month on the same Centre Court grass for the gold medal.

Second-seeded Novak Djokovic, the US Open's defending champion, could face No. 4 David Ferrer in the semifinals.


Rafael Nadal, who owns 11 Grand Slam titles and is ranked third, withdrew with knee trouble that has sidelined him since he lost in the second round of Wimbledon in late June. This is the first US Open since 2008 that doesn't have the quartet of Federer, Djokovic, Murray and Nadal as the top four seeded men, in some order.

The potential men's quarterfinals are Federer vs. No. 6 Tomas Berdych, who upset him in the 2010 Wimbledon quarterfinals; Djokovic vs. 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro; Murray vs. No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; Ferrer vs. No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic.

Possible women's quarterfinal matchups are top-seeded Victoria Azarenka vs. defending champion Sam Stosur; four-time major champion Maria Sharapova vs. 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova; 14-time Grand Slam title winner Serena Williams vs. former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki; No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska vs. No. 6 Angelique Kerber.


Williams' older sister Venus, who is ranked 47th this week and not seeded, plays American wild-card entry Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round and could face Kerber in the second. Venus Williams, the 2000 and 2001 champion, pulled out of last year's US Open hours before she was scheduled to play in the second round, revealing that she had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

Four-time major champion Kim Clijsters will begin what she says will be the last tournament of her career against American wild-card recipient Victoria Duval. Clijsters, a 29-year-old Belgian who is seeded 23rd, might face Stosur in the fourth round.


Clijsters won the US Open the last three times she entered the hard-court tournament, in 2005, 2009 and 2010. She missed it last year because of a stomach muscle injury.