Day 14 Photos!

Serena Captures 9th Grand Slam, 3rd US OPEN!

September 7th, 2008 New York City, USA

The Women's Final was held one day and one hour later than usual because of horrible weather on Saturday. So Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic took the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium to compete for the coveted US Open championship. It marked Williams fouth final at the US Open, winning in 1999 and 2002, and losing to sister Venus in the final in 2001. For Jelena it was her first ever Grand Slam final.

The first set was all Williams, quickly using controlled aggression to get up to a 5-2 lead. Jankovic had other plans and halted Williams slightly, getting back to 5-4. But Serena held strong and finally one the first set 6-4. When she moved up 1-0 in the second set, it all seemed to be going downhill for the Serbian. However to Jankovic's credit she was poised and held herself tough out there, better than a lot of first time Slam finalists do. At one point Jankovic was leading 5-3 in the second set and even had a 0-40 lead on Serena's serve. Three set points, but all evaporated and Serena was up 6-5 in an instant. It was there where Serena had enough and won the championship 7-5. For Serena, it was a long road back from here Australian Open in 2007. It was also her second consecutive Grand Slam final in over 5 years. With the win, Serena Williams ties Monica Seles with 9 Grand Slam titles. Also Serena is now the number 1 player in the world. For Jankovic she can take credit for making the US Open final and playing a great match. Now the world waits till January for the Australian Open.

Results:

Arthur Ashe Stadium:

(4)Serena Williams d. (2)Jelena Jankovic - 6-4, 7-5
Top 10 Seeds:

1. Ana Ivanovic - Lost in Round 2 (Coin)
2. Jelena Jankovic - Lost in Finals (S. Williams)
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova - Lost in Round 3 (Srebotnik)
4. Serena Williams - CHAMPION
5. Elena Dementieva - Lost in Semi-Finals (Jankovic)
6. Dinara Safina - Lost in Semi-Finals (S. Williams)
7. Venus Williams - Lost in Quarter-Finals (S. Williams)
8. Vera Zvonareva - Lost in Round 2 (Perebiynis)
9. Agnieszka Radwanska - Lost in Round of 16 (V. Williams)
10. Anna Chakvetadze - Lost in Round 1 (Makarova)

Day 12 Photos!

Serena, Jankovic To Battle For US Open Crown!

September 5th, 2008 New York City, USA

The women's Semi-Finals were played on a windy, humid day in New York City, conditions that aren't favored for anyone. Jankovic and Safina each called out at least once in frustration at the wind, sharing the opinion of many who were in attendance at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center. First up to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium were Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic. Dementieva was looking to reach her third ever Grand Slam Final and second here after reaching her first back in 2004. For Jankovic, she was on a mission to try and reach her first Grand Slam final after failing to do so in four previous Semi-Final encounters at Grand Slams. Dementieva started more steady of the two players, getting an early break in the first set and leading 4-2 at one point. However on this windy day, Jankovic was doing a lot of retrieving which annoyed Dementieva and caused many errors and simply broke down the Russian. Jankovic went on a tear and won the first set 6-4. Dementieva could do nothing but think about how she lost the set. In the second set, the players traded four straight breaks of serve before Jankovic finally held. It was a more consistent set, Jankovic finally took the lead 5-4 and won the match, 6-4. It will be Jankovic's first Grand Slam Final.

The next match came out in arguably even windier conditions, which did not favor either Serena Williams or Dinara Safina. The Russian has had a dream season to date winning titles at Berlin, Los Angeles and Montreal and getting a Silver Medal at the Olympics, not to mention a Finalist showing at Roland Garros last June. Serena Williams hadn't been passed the Quarter-Finals of a Grand Slam since the Australian Open in 2007. She had something to prove, even if she didn't admit it. The match was going on serve until 4-3, when Serena broke to take a 5-3 lead. Williams was playing safe, consistent tennis while Safina was hitting unforced error after error. Williams won the first set 6-3. In a blink of an eye, Serena was up 5-1 in the second set before Safina held serve and made Williams serve out the match. Serena with great poise and determination did just that only needing 1 Match point to win. Williams is now in her fourth US Open championship match and will be looking for her third overall US Open and 9th Grand Slam. It won't be easy, with weather conditions looking to worsen, with a possible final on a windy Sunday instead. Williams and Jankovic are 3-3 in head to head's so it will be a tough match for either party, who will win? It's up to the weather and the better player on that day.

Results:

Arthur Ashe Stadium:

(2)Jelena Jankovic d. (5)Elena Dementieva - 6-4, 6-4
(4)Serena Williams d. (6)Dinara Safina - 6-3, 6-2

Top 10 Seeds:

1. Ana Ivanovic - Lost in Round 2 (Coin)
2. Jelena Jankovic - Finals
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova - Lost in Round 3 (Srebotnik)
4. Serena Williams - Finals
5. Elena Dementieva - Lost in Semi-Finals (Jankovic)
6. Dinara Safina - Lost in Semi-Finals (S. Williams)
7. Venus Williams - Lost in Quarter- Finals (S. Williams)
8. Vera Zvonareva - Lost in Round 2 (Perebiynis)
9. Agnieszka Radwanska - Lost in Round of 16 (V. Williams)
10. Anna Chakvetadze - Lost in Round 1 (Makarova)

Day 10 Photos!

Safina, Serena Set Up Semi-Final Date!

September 3rd, 2008 New York City, USA

On this day would be one of the most anticipated women's Quarter-Final matches of recent memory at the US Open. Venus and Serena Williams would face off against each other during the night session. It would be their 18th match against each other and their 11th meeting at a Grand Slam. But first during the day session, Dinara Safina would take on Flavia Pennetta, a surprise final eight participant.

Safina controlled most of the match with her heavy ground strokes and dominating form that she has had as of late. Safina quickly won the first set, 6-2. By this time, Pennetta was looking flushed and frustrated. Her first US Open Quarter-Final was not going her way. It continued on this course as Safina continued her aggression and went on to win the second set, 6-3. The Russian now moves on to only her second Grand Slam Semi-Final and first at the US Open. With title wins in Los Angeles and Montreal as well as a Silver medal in Beijing, Safina is looking to continue with her amazing summer.

What went wrong with Venus Williams? That is the question everyone is probably asking themselves today. With ten set points in hand and eight break points, it wasn't Venus Williams who was moving on at the US Open, but younger sister Serena. Venus was definitely the more aggressive player all night, forcing Serena back and always threatening her serve by staying inside the baseline. Serena to her credit stayed with Venus, using her controlled aggression to make less errors and ultimately cause Venus to be the one spraying balls. Serena barely edged out the first set, 7-6(6). In the second set, Venus continued to play better, but Serena played smarter and ultimately it came down to Serena's grit and Venus choking the match away. Serena won the second set, 7-6(7). Serena now goes on to face Dinara Safina in the Semi-Finals. Williams lost to Safina earlier this year in the spring in Berlin. Serena will be trying to look for revenge.
Results:

Arthur Ashe Stadium:

(6)Dinara Safina d. (16)Flavia Pennetta - 6-2, 6-3
(4)Serena Williams d. (7)Venus Williams - 7-6(6), 7-6(7)

Top 10 Seeds:

1. Ana Ivanovic - Lost in Round 2 (Coin)
2. Jelena Jankovic - Semi-Finals
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova - Lost in Round 3 (Srebotnik)
4. Serena Williams - Semi-Finals
5. Elena Dementieva - Semi-Finals
6. Dinara Safina - Semi-Finals
7. Venus Williams - Lost in Quarter-Finals (S. Williams)
8. Vera Zvonareva - Lost in Round 2 (Perebiynis)
9. Agnieszka Radwanska - Lost in Round of 16 (V. Williams)
10. Anna Chakvetadze - Lost in Round 1 (Makarova)

Day 9 Photos!