In 62 dominating minutes, Serena Williams, at once reaffirmed her place atop the women’s tennis world and bolstered her confidence for the upcoming U.S. Open in New York.
“I love this moment,” she said after winning the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. “I love holding up the trophy.”
Williams dispatched Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1 in a little more than an hour for her first win at this event.
“Definitely my best performance of the summer,” she said. “Hopefully, not the last.
“This is definitely a level that can take me to the (U.S. Open) title. I still have a lot of work to do. It’s definitely a better level than I’ve played all year, to be honest.”
She had 12 aces in what seemed like a barrage to Ivanovic.
“Only (12)?” Ivanovic said. “It felt like way more.”
The only other event that Williams had played six times without a title is Sydney. She finally got her win in Cincinnati with the help of a favorable matchup. Williams is 7-1 in her career against Ivanovic, the only loss coming at the Australian Open this year.
Not this weekend.
“I felt like she was dominating,” Ivanovic said.
Williams suffered some back discomfort during the match, but played through it.
Williams winced after a serve in the opening game of the second set and arched her back. She stretched her back a few times between points and played through it.
“I felt it a little bit in the second, but I just was so excited for this final and to be in the final,” she said. “I just really felt like I had nothing to lose. So I was able to relax.”
Despite the loss, Ivanovic will move back into the top 10 in the WTA rankings with her strong showing in Cincinnati.
“It’s the biggest final I’ve been in in a while. It feels good to be part of it,” she said. “There are still a few points in my game that I feel I need to work on for the U.S. Open and also for the end of season. Definitely exciting times.”
