Yesterday, the reigning king of tennis, Roger Federer, reaffirmed his claim to the crown.
In a match that featured keen play from both players, top-seeded Federer took down ninth-seeded Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to pick up his third straight US Open title and the ninth major title of his career. On the women's side on Saturday night, young gun and No. 3 seed Maria Sharapova motored her way through No. 2 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne in 6-4, 6-4 on the same court, earning her second career Grand Slam win.
Federer started the championship match in commanding fashion, racing to an early 5-0 lead in the first set. Federer broke Roddick's serve three times en route to a 6-2 win; up until this match, the 24-year-old American had only been broken six times during the tourney, a testament to how powerful and crucial his serve is to his game.
The second and third sets proved far more competitive as Roddick played right up to the Swiss' level. Roddick opened the second set with a break of Federer's serve, which was all the breathing room he needed as his serve effectively took over to even the match at one sets all.
Roddick and Federer continued to duel in the third set. At 2-2, Federer successfully served his way out of a love-40 deficit and saved another break chance after the first deuce to escape on serve with the 3-2 lead. Had Roddick succeeded in taking that game, he would have had a legitimate chance to ride the momentum of his second set win, especially with the friendly crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
In the next game, Roddick defended five break chances while serving in a game that saw seven deuces. At 5-6, Roddick was looking to send the third set into a tiebreaker, but blistering backhands from Federer shot down Roddick's chance. The fourth and final set proved a breeze for the Swiss as he took home the title.
For the women, it was all Sharapova. Despite an early break and 2-0 lead from Henin-Hardenne, Sharapova roared back with a break and a hold of her own.
The 19-year-old Russian's shot-making ability proved too much for Henin-Hardenne to handle throughout the rest of the match. At 3-3 in the third, she failed to defend her serve, handing over a 4-3 lead to Sharapova, whose serve took her the rest of the way to the title.
Defending women's champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium did not compete at this year's open due to a wrist injury suffered before tournament play began at Flushing Meadows.
Federer was the clear favorite from the beginning of the tournament and in yesterday's championship match, but there had been whispers that Roddick, under the watchful gaze of his new mentor and five-time US Open champion Jimmy Connors, might be able to dethrone the Swiss. Roddick's season before the middle of August was dismal, with no singles titles and very poor performances in the first three major events. Once he hired Connors, he went on a hot streak, winning Western-Southern Financial Group Masters Aug. 20.
Federer's Grand Slam season proved successful with appearances in all four finals, and victories at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and yesterday's US Open. Interestingly, Henin-Hardenne also competed in every women's major final this year as well, though she only came up with the French Open title.
Ever since winning Wimbledon at age 17 in 2004, Sharapova had fallen in five straight major semifinals until Friday night. Under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, she overcame No. 1 seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-0, 4-6, 6-0. Mauresmo won at this year's Australian Open and Wimbledon victories.
In addition to becoming the fourth man ever to win three consecutive US Open titles, Federer became the first to win three straight Wimbledon and US Open championships in the same years. His ninth major puts him among elite company, with only five other players having captured more titles. Tennis legend Pete Sampras holds the record with 14.
