Then with her post-match interview about to end, she interjected that she had one more thing to say: Pennetta was retiring.
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NEW YORK – Flavia Pennetta won the U.S. Open after defeating unseeded fellow Itlaian Roberta Vinci.
“I took a big decision in my life”. I can not say anything different. A day later, the 43rd-ranked Vinci couldn’t quite recapture the magic, a bit too worn down emotionally and physically from the staggering upset.
Vinci’s defence improved as the set wore on and, by the end, momentum swung in her favour.
“This was a tough match for Serena, obviously she lost a set, but physically it wasn’t because there weren’t many long points”.
So Serena advances into the last four with her 33rd successive Grand Slam win. After winning the tiebreak and sensing the title was within her grasp, Pennetta broke Vinci at the first opportunity en route to 4-0 lead before clinching the match with a final service break. “Today I think I played really well”. She said it was a decision she made a month ago when a grand slam triumph would have seemed improbable and suggested fate may have played a part in her grand slam goodbye. I’m really happy and really happy for Flavia. “I need a ghost writer for my diss track!” one joked. “This is my last US Open and I couldn’t think of finishing in a better way”.
“My life is flawless”, Pennetta said when asked how she would look back at the championship. After the match, she said pressure did not play a role in the loss. Unlike the top-ranked Williams, Pennetta was unfazed by her former junior doubles partner’s slices and volleys, and the 43rd-ranked Vinci couldn’t recapture her brilliant play from Friday.
Pennetta beat world number two Simona Halep in the semi-finals, while Vinci stunned top seed Serena Williams, denying the American a potential calendar-year grand slam title sweep.
“It’s going to be a really big win for both of us, ‘” Pennetta said.
“Sometimes it’s getting hard for me to compete”, Pennetta said.
Glory in the first all-Italian grand slam final crowned a remarkable comeback after Pennetta had pondered retirement previous year while battling a debilitating wrist injury.
In her subsequent victory speech, Pennetta thanked Vinci and her fans, then said, to the crowd’s utter astonishment, “This is my last match at the U.S. Open, and I couldn’t think of a better way”. “Was tough today but I tried to do my best”.
With the Italian Prime Minister in attendance, both players dealt with the nerves of playing in their first career major final early on.
They are now the oldest and second-oldest first-time champions in Grand Slam history.
Pennetta then held serve before breaking Vinci at love on the strength of a backhand victor and overhead slam.
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In one of the unlikeliest major finals in women’s tennis, the 26th-seeded Pennetta beat Vinci 7-6 (4), 6-2 on Saturday at Flushing Meadows.
