Williams tops Jankovic to claim U.S. Open final

Sep 8, 2008 - 7:25 AM FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Serena Williams got it all out of the way en route to a U.S. Open championship on Sunday night.

The fourth-seeded American, who did not drop a set in this tournament, persevered through a tough second set to secure her first title here in six years with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over second-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic.

Williams, who won U.S. Open titles in 1999 and 2002, climbed back to glory in a match that originally was scheduled for Saturday but had to be pushed back a day because of heavy rain and wind from Tropical Storm Hanna.

"I'm so excited," Williams said. "I can't even describe it. I feel like it's done and it's all over. I'm so excited and I think it showed on the court."

Not only did she again hoist the trophy here and claim $1.5 million in prize money, Williams also won her first Grand Slam since the Australian Open in 2007. She now most likely will take over the top spot in the world from Ana Ivanovic.

"I've been working so hard all year," Williams said. "It's all paying off. I felt like I've been working the hardest, I should win."

The 26-year-old Williams won the first set fairly easily, putting the pressure on Jankovic with booming groundstrokes and showing her experience in Grand Slam finals. Jankovic, playing in her first final, took a while to get in the groove.

"Serena was a little bit better on the important points," Jankovic said. "I had my chances the first set, and the second set, as well, and I just, you know, some unlucky points. I should have won them, but I didn't. You know, I let my opportunities slip away.

"But overall, I was - I'm happy that I made it to the finals, especially that I struggled a lot this year," Jankovic said. "I had a lot of injuries and all these problems, and I really worked hard to be here on this stage."

The Serbian, however, came back strong in the second by breaking Williams and then holding serve to make it 5-3. But that's where it would the success ended for Jankovic.

Williams fended off three set points to force Jankovic to serve it out for the set, which she could not do.

After seeing her opponent battle out of a 0-40 hole in the previous game, Jankovic lost the first three points on serve and battled back to force four deuces before allowing Williams to break back and make it 5-5.

Williams then held and broke Jankovic to secure the win, punctuating her victory by tossing her racket in the air and leaping around the court to show her unbridled joy.