... // Serena Williams just won the US Open, but it wasn't anywhere near as easy as we thought it'd be. She beat No. 1-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. Azarenka was up 5-3 in the third set and had a chance to serve for the championship, but Serena broke her to extend the match and trounced her in the next two games. It was the first three-set women's final since 1995. When this match started, it looked like Serena was heading for a blowout. But Azarenka was tough — breaking Serena in the first game of the second set — and Serena's game completely fell apart until she rediscovered her mojo when Azarenka was serving for the match. What resiliency from Serena, who looked dead in the water in the middle of the third set. And what determination from Azarenka, who was the huge underdog and could have packed it in after that first-set beating. A lot of people said that Serena was playing the best tennis of her life coming into this tournament. But Azarenka gave her all she could handle. Azarenka couldn't even watch the celebration.