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King and Shvedova win US Open women's doubles title
In a match that spanned two days, Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova defeated Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4), to win the 2010 US Open Women's Doubles title.
"This has been an incredible two weeks and one day," said Shvedova.
Play resumed at 3 p.m. on Monday after the match was suspended on Sunday during the final set following a three-hour rain delay. King and Shvedova were down 5-4 on serve in the third set with King serving at 0-15.
"I was a bit nervous because I was serving and a point down on my serve. I was concentrating on getting the first serve in," said King.
King got her first serve in, and Petrova pushed her return long. Up 30-15, things quickly fell apart. Petrova smashed a volley down the middle for a match point. King saved the first, lacing a forehand that touched the back of the baseline. She steadied her nerves and held. Huber and Shvedova traded holds to force a deciding tiebreak.
After a furious exchange of baseline blasts and quick-reflex volleys, Shvedova produced the shot of the match, a brilliant topspin lob on match point over the outstretched arms of Petrova.
"I want to congratulate two great opponents today," said Huber, the top-ranked women's doubles player in the world.
King and Shvedova, who won the Wimbledon title together this summer, marched to the US Open final having eliminated the Nos. 1, 9 and 12 seeded teams. Huber and Petrova, who teamed up to win in Charleston this year, cruised through the draw and only faced one three-setter, against No. 5 seeds Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs.
In Sunday's final, both teams traded a break of serve early in the first set, thanks to stronger return games on both sides of the net and shaky service games from Shvedova and Huber. At 2-2, Petrova and Huber rode a momentum swing that propelled them into a 4-0 run to close the first set.
King and Shvedova did a fine job challenging the No. 2 seeds in long rallies, often winning points with offensive topspin lobs when their opponents attempted to pressure at the net. But Petrova and Huber used aggressive play to attack serves, cut off returns with poached volleys and find the openings down the middle for winners.
After gathering their thoughts between sets, King and Shvedova turned the momentum in their favor, taking an early break for a 2-0 lead. In the fourth game, Shvedova provided a little light-hearted entertainment for the crowd when she lost her racket during a point. As she scrambled for a short drop shot, she lunged forward, popping the ball back high over the net but losing grip on her racket. Huber then took advantage of the situation by putting away an overhead near Shvedova, who attempted to track down the ball with her bare hands, drawing laughs from the crowd and a high-five from Huber.
Back on serve at 3-3, King and Shvedova took a page out of their opponents' book and started moving into the court, controlling the points with dictating shots. Their efforts earned them a break at love on Huber's serve and allowed them to hold on to the lead and level the match at a set apiece.
One set away from the US Open title, neither team would budge on serve in the third. Both kept a steady game, with King and Shvedova stepping up their game to control the points and push Huber and Petrova back. The No. 2 seeds countered with solid service games to force errors from their opponents.
