A triumphant Serena Williams sent out a chilling message to lesser mortals at the top of women's tennis after winning her third US Open title at the expense of her gallant Serbian opponent Jelena Jankovic. The powerful American, 26, is promising to take the game seriously again and strengthen her hold on her regained world No 1 ranking.
If elder sister Venus, who won a family duel in the Wimbledon final but lost when they met again in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows, follows suit, then the Californian siblings can dominate the game again as they did at the turn of the Millennium. Williams produced a splendid performance in the delayed women's singles final to bridge a six-year gap since her second title success at Flushing Meadows and end a five-year wait to hold the top ranking.
After clinching an impressive 6-4, 7-5 victory she maintained that she is yet to produce her best tennis and intended to do so in pursuit of improving her haul of nine grand slam titles. "I'm so excited, This was magical," she said. "It was everything coming together like magic. I wasn't even going for the number one [ranking] so that's an added bonus. It is that special because I've been working so hard.
"And it doesn't stop here. I feel so young and so energised every week. It feels like I am having a new career and there is so much more I can do in that career." Williams was reluctant to make comparisons between this latest honour and the capturing of her first grand slam as an emerging teenager in 1999. She has three Australian Open, two Wimbledon and one French Open title as well as three celebration nights in New York.
"Each one means a lot. The 1999 one was special because I knew I was going to win it," she said. "I just felt it. I wanted it so badly in 1999. It was my first grand slam so no one can take that away." Williams, who did not drop a set throughout the Flushing Meadows fortnight, is only the sixth woman in the Open era to win nine or more grand slam titles. "I'm knocking at the door of double digits," she said.
"I have the game to do it. I play well in Australia, and that's coming up [in January], so maybe there. "I have to win another French Open and I love Wimbledon. I love winning grand slams, so I look forward to it." Jankovic was hoping that 2008 would produce her first grand slam title, and in the early stages of a high quality final she looked capable of bringing about a surprise verdict at the end of a rain-interrupted women's championship.
In the end she was happy with her accomplishment of reaching her first final in one of the four majors and maintaining a world ranking of two ahead of her compatriot Ana Ivanovic, who departed early from New York and slips from first to third. It could easily have been a different outcome as Jankovic rued a series of squandered opportunities, particularly in the second set as she looked like drawing level.
She held three set points on the Williams serve in the ninth game as her opponent appeared to be tiring badly and missed another set point in the next game. Typically, Williams, who was accused by Jankovic of taking too long between points, dug deep into her reserves of stamina and turned the tide dramatically to take the title on her second match point. For Jankovic, this was her first grand slam final - having been in four semis, including the Australian and French Opens this year - and she had the time of her life.
She smiled even after losing points, and she kept a close eye on the overhead video boards. "They should turn it off, because I keep looking," she joked. "You see your big face up there and you can't help but look up." @Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
