With a victory today, Serena Williams will capture her fourth US Open women’s singles title, putting her in elite company. She would be tied for sixth in U.S. Championships/US Open history (with seven other players), behind only Molla B. Mallory (8), Helen Wills (7), Chris Evert (6) and Steffi Graf and Margaret Court (5 each).for third in the Open Era with Martina Navratilova.
SERENA PLAYING FOR RICHEST PAYDAY IN TENNIS HISTORY
With a victory today, Serena Williams would take home the largest single payday in tennis history at $2.8 million—$1.8 million in US Open prize money and an additional $1 million in bonus prize money as the 2011 Olympus US Open Series champion.
That total would eclipse the $2.4 million Roger Federer won in 2007 as the US Open and Olympus US Open Series champion. The current women’s record belongs to Kim Clijsters, who won $2.2 million in 2005 as the US Open and Series champion and again last year, when she won the women’s singles title and placed second in the Series standings.
WITH WIN, SERENA MAKES HER MARK IN THE RECORD BOOKS
With a victory today over Samantha Stosur in the women’s singles final, Serena Williams would set a U.S. Championships/US Open record for the most years between her first and last women’s singles title, at 12 years. (Serena won her first title as a teenager in 1999.)
Serena already holds the Open Era record in this category, at nine years between her first title in 1999 and her third in 2008.
SERENA PURSUING (ANOTHER) PERFECT OPEN
Serena Williams has not dropped a set through the first six rounds of the 2011 US Open. The women’s champion has swept through the US Open without dropping a set 16 times In the Open Era, with 11 of those—including Serena in 2002 and 2008—not dropping a set through seven matches. (The other five times the champion played six matches to win the title.)