September 10, 2013
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
Serena Williams triumphed over strong winds and the stronger will of opponent Victoria Azarenka on Sunday to win her second consecutive US Open Championship, 7-5; 6-7; 6-1.
Azarenka, a twenty-four-year-old rising Belarusian tennis star, put up a good match against the number-one ranked Williams, forcing a tie-breaker and then a third set. But after two hours and forty-five minutes of play, it was Williams who was bouncing on the court, waving her arms in victory.
“It is a tough loss but to play in the final against the best player in the world is unbelievable,” Azarenka said during the trophy ceremony.
Along with the title and trophy, Williams walked away with a cool $3.6 million in prize money, which included a $1 million bonus for her performance during the North American summer hard-court circuit leading up to the tournament.
With the win, Williams is now a five-time US Open winner, just one shy of tying Chris Evert’s record six. She also now has seventeen Grand Slam Championships, the first of which was the US Open in 1999 at age eighteen. And while Serena Williams has won every title and accolade in tennis, she admitted that her unsteady performance on Sunday was due nerves.
“You know, when you’re always trying to write history—or join history, in my case—maybe you just get a little more nervous than you should,” Williams said. “I also think it’s kind of cool because it means that it means a lot to you. It means a lot to me, this trophy and every single trophy that I have. It makes me feel that I’m still fighting just to be a part of this fabulous sport.”
Redskins
While Robert Griffin III may have been physically cleared to play in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, his performance on Monday night made it clear he was not yet ready.
But what fans and commentators chalked up to rustiness—Griffin had not played a snap since January 6—the Skins quarterback took full responsibility for, calling anything else an excuse.
“I’m responsible for the way I play,” Griffin said. “I didn’t play very well in the first half. That’s just the way it is. You move on from it. I’m not going to sit here and say I was rusty. I’ve got to be accountable and I’m going to be accountable for that.”
Whatever it was, it was not pretty. The Eagles, with their new head coach and no-huddle offense, got off to a fast start, quickly building a 26-7 lead. The Skins meanwhile made just three first-downs in the first half, along with two Alfred Morris fumbles and an interception. At half-time, they exited the field to boo’s.
It looked to be a blowout in the third quarter, when Griffin threw his second interception and the deficit grew to 33-7. The stadium, which earlier had been full of burgundy and gold clad fans chanting “RG3,” began to empty. It was then that the 2012 NFC East Champs finally started coming together.
They scored three straight touchdowns to pull within six, and tried for an on-side kick to get the ball back with just over a minute to go. The ball got loose, but was ultimately recovered by an Eagle to end the game. Despite the loss and ugly first half, the Redskins’ resilience in the third and fourth quarters proved they have the grit to fight until the end.
Griffin, who finished 30-for-49 and 328 yards, praised his teammates for their performance.
“The guys have a lot of heart and we’ll fight to the end no matter what happens. You’re not jolly about a loss, but you can hold your head up.”
