Agencies

New York, Sep 9: The drama queen came face-to-face with the comeback queen at Flushing Meadows on Sunday. Jelena Jankovic provided the on-court theatrics and Serena Williams bounced away with the US Open trophy.

Nine years after winning her first grand slam title, Williams collected major No9 on the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court, silencing Jankovic with a 6-4, 7-5 victory that also lifted her back to the top of the world rankings for the first time in over five years.

Jankovic had four set points to take the women's final into a decider for the first time since 1995, but blew her chances, allowing Williams to complete a merciless charge to her third Open title without losing a set in seven matches.

"I'm so excited. I wasn't even going for No1 and it's just like an added bonus," said 26-year-old Williams, who hurled her racket high in the air and bounded up and down after crunching down a backhand winner on match point.

A day after the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna swept through Flushing Meadows, the woman's final was delayed to allow Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal to complete their semi-final. The bad weather meant it was the first time since 1974 that the women's final in New York was not played on a Saturday.

While Williams meant business on court, Jankovic seemed to think she had a starring role in a big screen comedy film.

Williams fired a missile towards her chest, Jankovic fended it off with a self-defence volley and laughed. Not satisfied with entertaining the crowd, she looked up at the big screen to study a replay of the point and laughed again.

She did the splits after chasing down the ball, she laughed, she missed a backhand, she sighed – much to the amusement of the 23,000 fans.

"I should have gotten an Oscar for all this drama throughout the week. I should have gotten a trophy for the acting, for my drama. I think I've done a great job," Jankovic said after contesting her first grand slam final.

For Williams, though, it was no joking matter.

After trading breaks early in the opening set, Williams made her intentions clear when she streaked into a 5-2 lead. Time and again she was dragged into rallies lasting more than 20 strokes by the tenacious Serbian, but Williams proved her fitness by pounding the ball back with interest.

After being foiled in her attempt to serve out the set at 5-3, she pounced in the next game when Jankovic smacked a forehand long. The Serbian refused to get deflated and was rewarded for her staying power by moving 5-3 ahead in the second set and had Williams pinned back when trailing 0-40 on serve. Prowling the baseline with sweat glistening on her forehead, Williams bludgeoned ferocious groundstrokes to save three set points and one more in a marathon tenth game that lasted 11 minutes before the American broke on her sixth attempt, ending a 22-shot rally with a bone-rattling forehand.

That appeared to take the fight out of Jankovic and 14 minutes later a jubilant Williams was bouncing up and down so high, Olympic high-jump gold medallist champion Tia Hellebaut would have been proud.

Williams' triumph was also a testament to her longevity because her last reign as world No1 was in August 2003 – the longest ever gap between stints as No1 for a woman.

Williams has worked long and hard to reign once more as US Open champion and world No 1, and after achieving both goals she said she felt like she was just getting started again.

"I feel like I have a new career, like I feel so young and I feel so energised to play every week and to play every tournament," she said. "I feel like there's just so much that I can do in my career yet, and I've never felt like I've played my best tennis.

"I've been working so hard all year. Sometimes I wake up at like six in the morning to go practise and it was too dark, I would have to wait until it gets light. It's just paying off."

Williams, who won the 2007 Australian Open ranked 81st in the world, has been moving back up the rankings as her form improved and she entered more events.

"This year I started out again top 10 and was working my way up, so it's just been consistent," she explained.

"It hasn't happened all of a sudden."