Serena served an ace to start the match. Then, after two holds of serve, Australia's Samantha Stosur turned on the pressure, and poured on the power, shocking American Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam championship in inspiring style. The lead-up to the match gave little to no chance for the number 10 player in the world to overcome Williams, who had served and powered her way into the final, on court for four hours less than her opponent, who needed three sets to defeat 92nd ranked Angelique Kerber in the semifinals. But, Stosur showed she could play, even dominate, the top players. She won comfortably 6-2, 6-3, bringing the 13-time Grand Slam champion down to reality after demolishing opponents throughout the tournament, including number one Caroline Wozniaki in the previous match. It was the first win at the US Open for an Australian woman in nearly 40 years. And it was a fitting end for Stosur, who had battled match after match to earn a spot in the finals. Her confidence and game plan showed early one, putting immediate pressure on the big-serving of Williams. She was able to break nearly at will throughout the match. The only tense moments came in the second set, when Williams blasted a winner cross court, but the chair umpire gave the point to Stosur after Williams screamed loudly before the point was over – Stosur was able to get her racket on the ball and was awarded the game for a 1-0 lead. Obviously perturbed, Williams had some choice words for the Greek umpire. The crowd responded with boos and chatter, and Williams was able to get back the break, but it wouldn't be enough. The outburst led to a seemingly rejuvenated Williams, who began hitting more shots into the court over the span of a few games, but in the end could do no better than stay on serve. At 3-3 in the second set, Stosur was able to continue the pressure and force Williams to crack. She then served the next game to go up 5-3, and then fittingly broke the serve that had largely carried the American into the final. Stosur was the better player on Sunday and in many ways, gave Williams an old fashioned beatdown. BM
