Serena Williams broke her Cincinnati hoodoo as she finally captured the trophy that had eluded her on five previous appearances by downing Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1 in 62 minutes last night.
Williams went into the match leading Ivanovic 6-1 in previous meetings but the Serb is the only top-20 player to defeat the world No1 this season, having beaten her at the Australian Open earlier this year.
They were facing off for a fourth time this season and all of those encounters had gone the distance.
Williams blasted 26 winners, including 12 aces, which forced Ivanovic to jokingly ask her opponent after the match: “I think I got a lesson on how to serve. Maybe after you retire you can give me good tips?”
Ivanovic, 26, was firing some signature punishing returns from the very start as she broke Williams in the opening game and consolidated for 2-0.
The Serb ex-world No1 hung on but some fierce forehands from Williams saw the American break back in the sixth game to draw level and she soon was leading for the first time in the match when she inched ahead 4-3 with a second serve ace.
Ivanovic bizarrely double-faulted twice to hand over a break and the set to Williams in the 10th game.
Their previous three meetings in 2014 had all gone to three sets, but Williams looked adamant on wrapping things up quickly as she broke in the fourth game of the second set and was soon up 4-1.
The world No1 broke again as she continued to attack the Ivanovic serve and created three championship points the following game with some stellar serving.
And Williams sealed victory on her first chance with a service winner on second serve to claim a WTA-leading fifth title of the season.
“It’s amazing to finally be able to win today. I’m just so excited to be here, I had such a good time this whole week in Cincinnati,” said an elated Williams, who is 5-0 in finals this year and now owns 62 titles from 25 different tournaments.
The 32-year-old thanked her whole team including a special message to her French coach – and rumoured boyfriend – Patrick Mouratoglou: “Thanks to Patrick for being the calm through my storm because I can get a little crazy and rowdy, but he’s always able to calm me down.”
By virtue of reaching the final at Cincinnati, following her title at Stanford and semi-final run at Montreal, Williams has clinched the Emirates Airline US Open Series for the second year in a row (also 2011) and will play for a record $4 million payout at Flushing Meadows ($3 million for winning US Open plus $1 million bonus).
