SHOWS: FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 9, 2012) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) 1. NEWS CONFERENCE ATTENDEES APPLAUDING SERENA WILLIAMS 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SERENA WILLIAMS, SAYING: "Gosh, it really is amazing. I came in the summer knowing it was going to be a long summer, but I knew that I could do well if I just put my mind to it. I knew that I could just be a good player and a champion this summer. I never expected to win all these titles. The highlight has just been so amazing. Everything has been so amazing, so it's just been fabulous." 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SERENA WILLIAMS, SAYING: "It hasn't even sunk in that I'm the winner yet. It's awesome. Yeah, three decades. The '90s, 2000s, 2010s, that's kinda cool. Yeah, I just think that it's exciting to have this opportunity. And 13 years is a long time between the first and the last. It's just a great -- I was reading yesterday or this morning how Pete Sampras won in '90 and 2002. That was a 12-year span. That was pretty awesome. For me to get this in 13 years was just -- and I'm at No. 15 now? It's so cool. I'm so excited." 6. CLOSE UP OF U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S SINGLES TROPHY STORY: Serena Williams, through sheer force of will as much as her unquestionable skill, beat world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-2 2-6 7-5 in a dramatic U.S. Open final on Sunday (September 9) to win her fourth title at Flushing Meadows and her 15th career grand slam. On her best behaviour but unable to dominate an opponent seven years her junior, Williams showed all her great fighting qualities to survive a ferocious comeback from Azarenka and seal victory after more than two and a quarter hours to become the oldest U.S. Open champion in nearly four decades. "Gosh, it really is amazing. I came in the summer knowing it was going to be a long summer, but I knew that I could do well if I just put my mind to it. I knew that I could just be a good player and a champion this summer. I never expected to win all these titles. The highlight has just been so amazing. Everything has been so amazing, so it's just been fabulous," Williams said afterwads. Billed as a clash between the greatest player of her generation and the top player in the world this year, the match lived up to all the hype and more after initially offering only a one-sided romp for Williams. The American raced through the opening set in just 35 minutes with two service breaks and 16 stunning winners. But the Belarusian, who won her maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, suddenly found a way to penetrate the booming Williams serve, setting the stage for an epic contest in which both players ran themselves to the point of exhaustion. Azarenka broke Williams for the first time in the opening game of the second set and again to lead 4-1. When the American started to show the first few signs of nerves, Azarenka seized her opportunity and for the first time since 1995, the U.S. Open women's final was forced into a deciding third set. The capacity crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium centre court roared with excitement as the two combatants produced some exquisite shotmaking as the stakes rose and the tension increased. Williams kept her cool, even when she was called for a foot fault, avoiding a repeat of her petulant behaviour at Flushing Meadows in the 2009 semi-final against Kim Clijsters and last year's final with Sam Stosur. But in the third set, it was Williams who blinked first. Suddenly her golden summer, which included winning a fifth Wimbledon title and two gold medals at the London Olympics, looked like coming to an end. Azarenka broke and led 5-3, and was two points away from the championship with Williams serving to stay alive. Williams then provided an emphatic reminder of why she has amassed so many major titles, reeling off the next four games on the trot to seal victory, just a few weeks before her 31st birthday. "It hasn't even sunk in that I'm the winner yet. It's awesome. Yeah, three decades. The '90s, 2000s, 2010s, that's kinda cool. Yeah, I just think that it's exciting to have this opportunity. And 13 years is a long time between the first and the last. It's just a great -- I was reading yesterday or this morning how Pete Sampras won in '90 and 2002. That was a 12-year span. That was pretty awesome. For me to get this in 13 years was just -- and I'm at No. 15 now? It's so cool. I'm so excited," Williams finished. Only Australia's Margaret Court, who had already turned 31 when she won her last U.S. Open crown in 1973, won the title at an older age.