Serena Williams played some of the best tennis of her career on Sunday to lift the 2013 US Open Ladies Singles tournament against Victoria Azarenka.
The 2013 French Open Champion, Williams, produced a particularly powerful third set to win the match 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 against her opponent, second seeded Belarussian, Azarenka.
The result was Williams’ 17th Grand Slam title, which places her five away from Steffi Graf’s open era record of 22 Slams, and another two short of Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24.
After having won the first set 7-5, Williams could, in truth, have raced away with the match earlier, but for her failure to put away a double break in the second set. Instead is was Azarenka who had set points saved before the second set ended with a close-fought tiebreaker going the way of the Belarussian.
However, the comeback was to be short-lived as Williams, last year’s US Open victor, was imperious in the third and final set, losing just one game in a 6-1 scoreline to wrap things up in front of a delighted Flushing Meadows crowd.