Serena Williams Wins Her 5th US Open

Fussing with her skirt and flubbing her shots, Serena Williams was troubled in the US Open final by the swirling air and the strong play of Victoria Azarenka.

After one miss, Williams declared, "I can't play in this wind!"

After blowing a big lead and dropping the second set, Williams chucked her racket toward the sideline, and it bounced back onto the court.

In the end, Williams pulled herself together, as she usually does when it matters the most. Facing her only test of the past two weeks, the No. 1-seeded Williams overcame No. 2 Azarenka 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-1 on Sunday for a fifth championship at Flushing Meadows and second in a row.

Williams, who turns 32 on Sept. 26, raised her Grand Slam singles title count to 17, the sixth-most in history and one shy of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

Williams collected a $3.6 million prize, including a $1 million bonus for producing the best results during the North American summer hard-court circuit leading up to the US Open.

She also became the first woman to top $50 million in career earnings. Her $50.9 million total is $22.1 million more than sister Venus, who is second on the list at $28.8 million.

Helped by nine aces, one at 126 mph, Williams improved to 67-4 with a career-high nine titles in 2013.

Since a first-round exit at the 2012 French Open, she is 98-5 with 14 titles, winning four of the past six Grand Slam tournaments.

"Vika's such a great opponent, such a great fighter and that's why she's been able to win multiple Grand Slams. That's why it was never over until match point," Williams said.