Serena Williams to win 6-2, 6-3 in US Open final

Sam Stosur pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the history of women's Grand Slam tennis finals by comprehensively outplaying a frustrated Serena Williams and claiming the U.S. Open title with a 6-2, 6-3 win on Sunday.

Stosur claimed her first Grand Slam singles title and became only the second Australian to win the U.S. Open crown by dominating a match which she was widely expected to lose to the home favorite.

Williams lost her composure, arguing with the chair umpire after being docked a point for shouting out in the midst of a rally. It was reminiscent of the ugly tirade against a line judge two years ago.

The overwhelming favorite for the match, Williams suffered only her second ever loss in a Grand Slam final to someone other than sister Venus; she was beaten by Maria Sharapova in the 2004 Wimbledon decider.

"I had one of my best days," Stosur said. "I'm very fortunate to do it on this stage."

"To go out there and play the way I did is just an unbelievable feeling, and you always hope and you want to be able to do that, but to actually do it, is unbelievable."

Hitting powerful strokes from the baseline, and looking fitter than her opponent despite a series of gruelling matches over the tournament, the ninth-seeded Stosur became the first Australian woman to win a major championship since Evonne Goolagong-Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980.

Five-time champion Margaret Court is the only other Australian to win the U.S. Open.

Only 2-9 in tournament finals before beating Williams, Stosur made the U.S. Open the third consecutive Grand Slam tournament with a first-time women's major champion, after Li Na at the French Open, and Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon.

"She played really, really well. She's a great player, and it's good to see," Williams said. "I tried my hardest and she kept hitting winners and I was, 'Oh my God, what am I doing?'"

This was only the 27-year-old Stosur's third title at any tour-level event, and what a way to do it. She took advantage of Williams' so-so serving and stayed steady throughout - finishing with 12 unforced errors to Williams' 25 - despite the bizarre events that unfolded in the second set.

Down a set and facing a break point in the first game of the second, the 13-time major champion hit a forehand and shouted, "Come on!" as Stosur reached down for a backhand. Chair umpire Eva Asderaki ruled that Williams hindered Stosur's ability to complete the point and awarded it to Stosur - putting her ahead 1-0 in that set.

Serena Williams toes the line in win at U.S. Open

When Williams walked into the world's biggest tennis stadium at 10:31 p.m. in New York, the applause was subdued and Williams was expressionless.

The last time she had played singles on this court, in a 2009 women's semifinal, the night had ended badly. Williams lost to Kim Clijsters and the final point was after a foot fault call went against Williams. She launched into an obscenity-filled tirade against the lineswoman who'd seen Williams' toes cross the line.

Williams did not play here last year because of a foot injury that contributed to keeping her away from tennis for nearly a year. But if the 29-year-old didn't seem outwardly enthusiastic about her late-night arrival, her tennis spoke one word: dominant.

She beat 19-year-old Serbian Bojana Jovanovski, who is ranked 54th in the world, 6-1, 6-1, in 56 minutes.

"I'm glad that one's over," Williams said. "It took a long time."

That sentence seemed to cover both being the last women's first-round singles match played and the time it has taken for Williams to get back here.

"It feels like I'm in my third round already," Williams said. "But it's OK. At least I got one and made it through."

Williams lost the first point on a forehand error but within 10 minutes she was ahead 3-0. There were moments when Williams squealed with disappointment after rare mistakes and one yelped an audible "Come on," when she blasted a winner to take a 5-1 first-set lead, but there were few smiles.

US Open Tennis (2011) Tickets are Hottest Events in September

That’s right, the hottest ticket this fall isn’t to see the Red Sox or the Yankees or even the NFL season kickoff. It’s tennis in New York that remains the top draw in September. The US Open is the final of the four tennis “Grand Slam” events and draw fans from around the world to Flushing, NY.

Fans can usually find US Open tickets in the upper sections of Arthur Ashe Stadium (the main court) for early sessions in the $25 range. Court-side tickets to later sessions can often range from $2,000 – $7,000+ on the ticket market.

As with any hot event, ticket market prices can and do vary significantly — sometimes by hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars for tickets in the same row.

We put together an Insider’s Guide to the US Tennis Open to help tennis fans get to the US Open and get the most bang for the buck.