THE U.S. OPEN

In a pulsating final held this evening following rain delays last week, Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in four sets to win his first U.S. Open title. In doing so, he cemented his position as the world number one, and extended his incredible 2011 match record to 64-2. He now holds three of the four Grand Slam titles; only a semi-final defeat in Paris ruined his chances of winning all four.

The final was a repeat of last year's, when Nadal won his tenth Grand Slam title to complete a full house. However, something has happened to Djokovic's game since then, as his record this year demonstrates. Although Nadal ran and ran, made some incredible gets and played some incredible shots, Djokovic always looked the more likely winner; he was the aggressor, Nadal the defender.

Having said that, it was still a close-run thing. Last year, Djokovic had to save two match points in the semi-final against Roger Federer before coming through. In an epic repeat semi-final, which went to five sets, exactly the same thing happened, with Federer serving for the match at 5-3, 40-15. Djokovic saved the first with a service return which hit the line, and the second when a Federer forehand hit the net tape and bobbled back. When Federer went on to double fault and lose the game, the air seemed to go out of the balloon, and Djokovic went on to win it 7-5.

If the rise of Djokovic has been predictable, the revival of Federer has not. Now 30, the 16-time Grand Slam champion (to put it in perspective, Djokovic still only has four) was widely considered to be over the hill. Yet he demonstrated that he can still play with the best in the world, and was within a point of beating the world number one; indeed, it was Federer who ended Djokovic's unbeaten run in Paris. With his simple style, which minimises physical wear and tear, Federer could easily play for two or three more years, and it would not surprise me if he won yet another Grand Slam title before he retires.

On the women's side, things were more predictable. Caroline Wozniacki yet again failed to live up to both over-inflated Danish expectations and her world number one ranking, while Serena Williams, coming back from a life-threatening illness, powered her way through the draw, demolishing Wozniacki in the semi-finals. However, in a final where she was the overwhelming favourite, Williams was surgically unpicked by Australian Samantha Stosur, one of the few women on tour who can match Williams' power. Stosur won 6-2, 6-3 to win, at the relatively advanced age of 27, her first ever Grand Slam title. 

Walter Blotscher