The fact that the women’s tennis is lacking a leading figure who to reign supreme became even more obvious on Sunday, when a determined Serena Williams captured her first title after the life-threatening medical problems which kept her off the court for a year. Nowadays, the openness of the game enables true champions, like the Williams, Clijsters or Henin, to come back after lengthy lay-offs and win the most important prizes. In the past, both Serena and Venus have topped the rankings by playing only a handful of events. The model was successfully copied by Super Mom Clijsters who is still holding on to the number 2 ranking without having played serious tennis since reaching the final in Paris in early February. Moreover, she was the one to stir up the waters when she won the 2009 US Open, three tournaments after her two-year break.
Under such circumstances, Serena’s success did not seem striking. In a way it seemed like the most common thing to happen. She started the week in high fashion double-bagel-ing her first round opponent Australian Anastasia Rodionova, 6-0,6-0. She experienced a mid-match hiccup losing the second set to Russian Maria Kirilenko in her next encounter, but ensured a relatively easy 6-2,3-6,6-2 win. The biggest test came in the quarterfinals when she faced the recent Wimbledon finalist Maria Sharapova. As the two shared quite a tense past, the match promised a grueling battle. It did not leave up to the expectations though, Serena dominating from start to finish. She was by far the strongest, winning it 6-1,6-3. She followed it up with another brilliant display, dismissing the challenge of raising star Sabine Lisicki 6-1,6-2. Through to her first final in more than a year, the American took full advantage of an injured rival, cruising through from 4-5 down to win the title, 7-5,6-1. Bartoli injured her wrist while serving for the first set, allowing Serena to conquer her first her first crown since Wimbledon 2010. It also marks her first regular trophy since Bangalore 2008.
The American's presence at a regular WTA stop is somewhat of a rarity, as she has been a sporadic character on the tour, unleashing her assault on the big prizes exclusively. Nevertheless, contrary to her habits, she signed in for Stanford, hoping to get some matches under her belt. The trick paid off this time, as the younger Williams stormed through the draw and, in just her third tournament back after a one-year absence, Serena looks to be back at her utmost best. She is now poised to regain her throne and she will be keen to do so as soon as possible. Next month's Flushing Meadows showdown provided the perfect opportunity.
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