The victory gives her 17 Grand Slam singles titles.
In order for No. 1-seeded Serena Williams to take home her fifth U.S. Open title, she had to beat No. 2-seeded Victoria Azarenka and, it seemed, another opponent. As ESPN reports, Azarenka wasn't giving Williams problems as much the weather at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens.
After one miss, Williams declared, "I can't play in this wind." After blowing a big lead and dropping the second set, Williams chucked her racket toward the sideline, and it bounced back onto the court.
In the end, Williams pulled herself together, as she usually does when it matters the most. Facing her only test of the past two weeks, the No. 1-seeded Williams overcame No. 2 Azarenka 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-1 on Sunday for a fifth championship at Flushing Meadows and second in a row.
With that victory, the younger of the Williams sisters broke a glass ceiling for women in the sport. The victory netted her $3.6 million plus a $1 million bonus, making her the first woman to earn more than $50 million in career earnings. Her sister, Venus Williams, is second on the list at $28.8 million.
Williams' Open win also marked her first back-to-back U.S. Open win, and her fifth U.S. Open title ties her with Steffi Graf for second most Open victories, behind Chris Evert, who has six.
Read more at ESPN.
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