US Open Tennis 2015 Results: Final Look at Women's Bracket and Prize Money
Flavia Pennetta beat Roberta Vinci 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in the all-Italian 2015 U.S. Open women's final.
As well as claiming her first Grand Slam title, she will also take home a healthy $3.3 million. Vinci will have to console herself with $1.6 million, according to the tournament's official website.
The 33-year-old champion announced her retirement at the end of the match, per tennis writer Tom Perrotta:
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Ultimately, Pennetta outshone her compatriot—who defeated Serena Williams in the semi-final—in virtually every category, as illustrated by the tournament's official website.
Pennetta scored more aces, won more points on both her first and second serves and hit more winners and fewer unforced errors than her opponent and long-time friend.
The match began by following serve in tightly contested first set.
Pennetta was the first to draw blood, as she broke Vinci with the score at 2-2.
The eventual runner-up gifted her opponent the game as she made several errors, not only on her backhand but her forehand as well, and Pennetta then held her next game to love.
Vinci responded well, though, holding her serve before breaking back to level the scores. She hit her ground strokes far more confidently and struck a lovely passing winner after luring Pennetta in with a drop shot on her way to breaking her.
She made it three games in a row as she held her service game to take a 5-4 lead, but Pennetta began returning with much more aggression and made more frequent forays to the net.
Indeed, she was particularly effective coming forward, winning 16 of her 20 points at the net, according to the tournament's official website.
The set went to a tiebreaker, and Pennetta duly took advantage of a loose, long forehand with the score at 5-4 to see out the set. The New York Times' Ben Rothenberg praised the entertaining contest and summarised the proceedings to that point:
The second set was far more one-sided, as the 26th seed raced into a 4-0 lead, showing magnificent resilience in saving a break point and forcing her opponent around the court to great effect.
Meanwhile, the match was quickly slipping away from Vinci, who hit seven unforced errors on her forehand alone, per the tournament's website.
She showed some of the battling spirit that saw her overcome Williams in the previous round and hit some stunning shots as she broke back before holding comfortably, but Pennetta refused to allow her to capitalise on her new-found foothold.
With the score at 40-30 to Pennetta, Vinci smelled blood and hit a vicious approach shot at her opponent, but Pennetta proved equal to it and took the set to 5-2 as she stunned Vinci with an incredible lob.
Determined to seal the win as quickly as possible, Pennetta raced to a 0-40 lead on Vinci's serve and won the championship point with a lovely forehand, per the tournament's official Twitter feed:
Fellow pros Williams and Simona Halep were among those leading the congratulations for Pennetta on social media.
And Pennetta has bowed out at the top, having won her first and only Grand Slam title.
As for Vinci, she too was full of praise for her opponent. According to Piers Newbery of BBC Sport, she said: "I am really happy and really happy for Flavia. It's tough to play against a player who you have known for a long time. I tried to play my best, but Flavia played unbelievable and I have to say congrats to her."
The world No. 43 also enjoyed a historic victory in her U.S. Open campaign in the semi-final. For both players, the match was naturally their best chance of ever winning a Grand Slam title, even though Vinci could well carry on for another year or two.
Nevertheless, her incredible run to the final will live long in the memory and give her great confidence should she meet Williams or another top-ranked player again.
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