Serena Williams: US Open Adds Exclamation Point to Dominating Summer of Tennis

The last few months of tennis by Serena Williams may be among the most dominating tennis we've ever seen.

Her performance in Sunday's U.S. Open championship match put the exclamation point on that statement.

Ever since she stepped foot on the grass of Wimbledon back in late June, Williams has been unstoppable. Despite many women's tennis stars coming into their own over the last year and the shifting balance of power, Williams didn't blink and slayed all of her opponents.

Perhaps the biggest test was her most recent one. No. 1 seed Victoria Azarenka wasn't able to reach the final to face Williams in either Wimbledon or the London Games, but she finally met with the American in Sunday's Flushing Meadows final.

She made Serena work for it. After winning the first set convincingly, 6-2, Williams faltered, and Azarenka displayed the skills that made her the top-ranked player in the world.

Azarenka won the set she needed to, and she did it in a big 6-2 way to tie things up at one set apiece. But Williams wouldn't be denied, and she hung in there during the third and final set when things seemed to be shifting her Belarusian opponent's way.

With Azarenka serving for the match and the championship, Williams broke her serve and subsequently won the next two games to win her second Grand Slam title of the year in epic fashion.

Williams seemed to cruise to her other titles this season, including her London Olympics win over Maria Sharapova, but adversity was everywhere in this U.S. Open final.

Williams is definitely no stranger to adversity, and she proved that once again.

She didn't get any favors done by having to face Agnieszka Radwanska in the Wimbledon final back in July, but she stood tall and took a dominating early set to win a grueling, three-set match, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. Despite the game going full length, the result was never in question, as Serena willed her way to her fifth Wimbledon title and back atop the tennis world.

Williams has done more than just own Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Olympics this summer, she's owned the entire sport of tennis—men's or women's. The spotlight has been hers, and she's shown, repeatedly, on the big stage that she's back. 

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