‘Just Serena’: Williams’ upset win at US Open keeps the legend advancing in final days of her storied career: ‘I want to get to the final now’
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It was a night she would remember for a long time.
Williams, who has dominated the women’s game for most of her 18-year career, finally won a major at the United States Open. It was a moment that would forever cement her place in the minds of women all over the world, and on a night that could be best summed up in one word — drama.
“I was just very, very happy,” Williams said in an interview with CBS after her victory. “When I got the call I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got the title now, I’ve got the moment, I’ve got it.’ If I didn’t get it, I wasn’t satisfied right away. I always wanted to get there at majors. It was the first major I ever won.”
Williams’ win, which came despite a second-set loss to Maria Sharapova, a second-round exit in an Open-play tournament for the first time in her career and a record-setting second-winded exit at the hands of a 7-5, 6-3 match against her fellow American, left much of the world talking about what was a memorable night.
It also left few with a desire to discuss what will happen to her next.
But, as usual, Williams has a clear sense of how she wants her legacy to be viewed.
“This is my last event in the U.S. Open in my career that I didn’t win in finals. It just doesn’t have the same meaning to me,” she said as CBS put her on camera in the locker room after her victory, “so my goal is to get to the final now and then have it forever etched in my head. It’ll be when I get to the fourth round and then I’ll have it forever.”
Williams has won five of the seven majors she has entered, but the last three have been in straight sets. She did not win a set at the U.S. Open until 2009, when she was