Samantha Stosur outplayed three-time champion Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3 to win the US Open on Sunday, claiming the first Grand Slam title of her career in a stormy final.
Stosur kept her composure as Williams erupted in anger at the chair umpire in the second set, dominating the 13-time Grand Slam champion who had reached the final without dropping a set.
She became the first Australian woman to take the title in New York since Margaret Court in 1973 and the first to win a Grand Slam since Evonne Goolagong won Wimbledon in 1980.
Photo: Reuters
“I had one of my best days and I’m very fortunate that I had it on this stage in New York,” Stosur said. “Ever since I started playing it was a dream of mine to be here one day.”
Williams arrived in the final after dismantling world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals on Saturday night in a match that dragged toward midnight.
“I was more tired than I expected, but I want to give all credit to Sam today ... She played really, really well. That’s what you have to do when you play a Grand Slam final,” Williams said.
Photo: AFP
Stosur, playing her second career Grand Slam final after a runner-up finish in the French Open last year, quickly claimed the opening set, breaking Williams to lead 2-1 and winning the last 12 points of the set as Williams’ frustration grew.
Williams, whose powerful serve is a cornerstone of her game, struggled to get her first serves in and Stosur repeatedly made her pay.
“She was cracking ’em today,” Williams said of the Australian, who was still rolling in the opening game of the second frame when she gave herself a double break point with a crushing return of serve.
Williams saved one with an ace and appeared to save another for deuce, but the American’s shout of “c’mon” as soon as she unleashed her forehand came before Stosur reached the ball and umpire Eva Asderaki immediately penalized Williams for “intentional hindrance” and the point and the game went to Stosur.
“Aren’t you the one who screwed me over last time?” Williams bellowed at Asderaki. “That is totally not cool.”
The scene recalled Williams’ similar meltdown in her 2009 semi-final defeat to Kim Clijsters.
In that match, she unleashed a tirade of abuse at a lineswoman who called a foot-fault during the tense match and a penalty point sealed her fate in a 6-4, 7-5 defeat.
This time an angry Williams — backed by a suddenly energized crowd in the 22,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium — immediately stepped up her game, breaking Stosur for 1-1 and holding to edge ahead 2-1.
Stosur remained aloof from the dispute, but admitted the crowd response was intimidating.
“It was probably the loudest I ever felt a crowd in my whole entire life,” Stosur said. “You’re right in the middle of it. It was definitely a quite overwhelming feeling, but once I hit that next ball in the court and started playing again, I felt settled.”
Williams continued to berate Asderaki on the changeover, but Stosur stayed calm and saved two break points in the fourth game to level the set at 2-2.
Stosur said she did not really know just what was happening between Williams and the umpire.
“I was just kind of there,” Stosur said. “I do know the rule, but it’s not something I’ve ever had to deal with before.”
She gained the edge with a break for 4-3 and broke again to seal the match with yet another blistering return off a Williams second serve on her third match point.
“I don’t really know what to say,” said Stosur, whose rugged path to the final included a third-round victory over Nadia Petrova that lasted a US Open women’s record 3 hours, 16 minutes and a marathon 17-15 tiebreak loss to Maria Kirilenko, before she rallied to beat the Russian.
“Thanks to everyone back home for supporting me. All my friends, family and everyone else, thanks so much for supporting me. I look forward to coming back home,” Stosur said.
Williams had voiced her eagerness to represent the US on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and she did her best to gloss over her burst of temper when it was all over.
“I was doing my best,” Williams said. “I hit a winner, but I guess it didn’t count ... But it wouldn’t have mattered anyway because she played really well.”
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
LONG TIME COMING: With the addition of Marcus Smart, the Washington Wizards finally held a team to under 100 points, the last team this season to do so The Detroit Pistons on Monday won their seventh straight game in the NBA with in-form Cade Cunningham making 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons, who are in the playoff position, moved to 32-26, their best record at this stage of a season for 17 years. It was an all-round effort from Detroit with Tobias Harris adding 20 points and Jalen Duren making 19 rebounds along with his 12 points. It was a tight contest until Detroit pulled away late in the third quarter to tie their longest winning streak since the 2014-2015
Soccer fans in England and Wales might be allowed to spend more time in pubs if their teams go far at the UEFA European Women’s Championship being held in Switzerland in July. The British government is launching a four-week consultation to discuss whether pubs can extend their opening hours from 11pm to 1am should England or Wales reach the semi-finals or final of Euro 2025. The British secretary of state for the home department has the power to extend licensing hours for occasions of “exceptional international, national or local significance,” the government said on Monday. England’s women’s team — whose players are nicknamed
RSS