Serena reigns as Murray stuns Nadal in US Open tennis

NEW YORK (AFP) — American Serena Williams defeated second seed Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 in the women's US Open final for her ninth career Grand Slam title and the world number one ranking, as Britain's Andy Murray advanced to his first Grand Slam final by stunning world number one Rafael Nadal in a US Open semi-final, booking a date with reigning champion Roger Federer.

The 21-year-old Scotsman defeated the reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4 in a match that began Saturday but was concluded the next dat after being halted by rain in the third set.

"I'm delighted to be in my first Slam final," Murray said. "I'm delighted I won against a guy who has played as well as him. He is the best player in the world this year. He has played great tennis."

The showdown with 12-time Grand Slam champion Federer was pushed to Monday, the first time since 1987 that bad weather has postponed the year's last Grand Slam tournament to an extra day.

Murray became only the third British man to reach a Slam final in the 40-year Open era, after Greg Rusedski in the 1997 US Open and John Lloyd at the 1977 Australian Open, and would be the first to win a title by beating Federer.

"He's probably the greatest player ever," Murray said of Federer. "To get the chance to play against him in a Slam final is an honor. I've played well against him in the past. Hopefully I can do the same again."

Murray owns a 2-1 lead over Federer in their career rivalry, losing their first meeting 6-3, 7-5 at the 2005 Bangkok final but winning 7-5, 6-4 at Cincinnati in 2006 and 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-4 in Dubai six months ago.

Nadal carried a 19-match Slam win streak into his first US Open semi-final against a foe he had beaten in all five of their prior meetings, taking 11 sets in a row off Murray before Saturday.

Sixth seed Murray will rise to fourth in the next rankings, matching Tim Henman and Rusedski for the top ranking ever achieved by a British man.

Murray slept on a two-set lead but was down a break at 2-3 in the third set with Nadal serving when play resumed at Arthur Ashe Stadium after a delay of about 26 hours from Saturday's stoppage at adjacent Louis Armstrong Stadium.

"Obviously tough to sleep on it but I'm very glad I came through in the end," Murray said.

"There were a lot of things I had to deal with, change of court, change of conditions, different atmosphere. I just had to stay calm. I was playing well enough to win but I knew Nadal was going to come at me."

Nadal held serve three more times to take the third set 27 minutes after the resumption, although he was pushed to a break point by Murray in the last game of the set before blasting three forehand winners to force a fourth set.

"I saw the match for sure was not impossible," Nadal said. "I was feeling better. He had some mistakes."

The drama grew in the second game of the fourth set when Murray, who saved a break point to hold in the prior game, squandered seven break chances and allowed Nadal to hold when Murray sent a forehand wide and netted a backhand.

"He only missed one first serve in those points," Murray said. "Even though I had break chances he played well on them and I missed a couple shots I maybe shouldn't have."

Murray's misfires and mistakes allowed Nadal to escape, leaving the Briton 2-for-17 in break chances at that point, and the Spaniard responded by breaking Murray at love for a 2-1 lead thanks to more unforced errors from the Scotsman.

"Even though I got broken in the following game, I still kept my emotions in check. I knew I was going to have chances to get back in the match and I obviously did."

But Nadal handed back the break in the sixth game, netting a forehand drop volley and then firing a forehand long to pull Murray level 3-3.

"Yesterday I was not playing. Today was a different match," Nadal said. "I played much better, with a little energy. I had my chance in the fourth. I just didn't come back."

Aided by two favorable net cord bounces, Murray reached match point on Nadal's serve in the last game with a forehand volley winner capping an extended rally.

"He was a little bit lucky the last game at the net but that's part of the game," Nadal said. "He beat me because he was better than me."

On match point, Nadal tried a drop volley that Murray pounded with a backhand volley past the shocked Spanish left-hander to claim the greatest victory of his career after 90 minutes of Sunday play and 3 1/2 hours overall.

There was plenty at stake as fourth-seeded Williams received the WTA's top ranking, a spot she previously held for 57 weeks beginning in 2002.

"I am so excited," Williams said. "I wasn't even going for number one. It is just an added bonus."

Williams, playing in her first US Open final in six years, also picked up 1.5 million dollars in first-place prize money and moved into third on the all-time money list, just ahead of Martina Navratilova.

The 26-year-old Williams won her 32nd career singles title and wiped away some of the disappointment of losing to sister Venus in the Wimbledon final earlier this year.

"It was magical. It was like everything coming together like magic," Williams said.

Williams fired three aces and hammered 44 winners in the two hour, four minute match in front of a crowd of 19,000 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The women's final was originally scheduled for Saturday but had to be switched to Sunday after the remnants of tropical storm Hanna washed out part of Saturday's schedule.

Williams, who also won the US Open in 1999 and 2002, is enjoying a revival in her game as she stormed through all seven rounds at Flushing Meadows without dropping a set en route to posting her fourth singles title of 2008.

On Sunday, she kept the Jankovic off guard by imposing her powerful serve and strong ground strokes on the Serbian.

The 21-year-old Jankovic came out with more spark in the opening set, taking an early break to go up 2-1.

But Williams broke back in the fourth, sixth and 10th games to take the set.

Williams clinched the match on her second match point, blasting a backhand winner into the open side of the court.

She celebrated by throwing her racket into the air and then jumping up and down before going to the net to shake Jankovic's hand.

"Last time I played Jelena I got up had a lot of match points and she is the kind of player not going to give it to you. I knew I just had to take it. I had to go for it," Williams said.

Jankovic, who was competing in her first Grand Slam final, said she squandered her chances on the big points.

"I am disappointed that I lost," Jankovic said. "It is not pleasing when you lose. I felt I had her because she was really tired at the end of the second set.

"Tonight I gave everything. I had had my chances in the first set and second set. I had some unlucky points I should have won them and I didn't.

"Serena played better tonight. She was too good."

Jankovic blew her chance to force a third set as she was up 5-3, 40-0 but then made three-straight unforced errors to let Williams off the hook.

Both players didn't want to give an inch, even driving the ball directly at each other on a couple of net points.

But the mood was lighter during the post-match ceremony as both players thanked their family and friends and even joked around a bit.

"How much do I get?" asked Jankovic, who earned 750,000 dollars as the runner-up.

Earlier in the tournament some of the players and the media had accused Jankovic of over-dramatizing some of her injuries.

She joked to reporters after Sunday's match that the runner-up trophy she received on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court could have been for best "leading role."

"I was thinking my trophy should be an Oscar," Jankovic said.

This is the ninth time in history that a Grand Slam final has featured two women battling for number one in the world.

Williams surpasses former No. 1 ranked Ana Ivanovic who held the title for 12 weeks before being knocked out in the second round of the final major championship of the season.

The last time the world number one changed hands in a Grand Slam final was 13 years ago when Steffi Graf beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in a three-set French Open final.