American Sloane Stephens showed the poise of a player competing in her 20th Grand Slam final – not her first.
The American never looked shaken by the occasion as she rapidly dispatched country-women and friend Madison Keys, in the women's US Open final.
In a first major final for both players, Keys never looked at ease, and made 30-errors in 61-minutes.
Stephens won 6-3, 6-0, capping a remarkable rise to the top of women's tennis after sitting out 11 months because of major foot surgery.
Stephens, ranked 83rd, is only the second unseeded women to win at Flushing meadows since 1968.
Keys, 22, and Stephens, 24, have known each other for years.
When the match ended, they met at the net for a long hug.
While waiting for the trophy ceremony to begin, Stephens walked over and plopped herself down in a courtside chair next to Keys, so they could chat side-by-side.
With so much help from the other side of the net, Stephens only needed to be solid – and she was, making only two unforced errors in the entire first set - 15 fewer than Keys.
Stephens won 16 of 20 points she served in the first set and didn't face a single break point until 50 minutes into the final, deep in the second set. She had to deal with three in one game there, erased each with a winner, and held for 5-0. Soon enough it was over.
A year ago, Stephens sat out the US Open because of what turned out to be a stress fracture in her foot. She had surgery in January, and made her season debut at Wimbledon in July, exiting in the first round.
Stephens is the first American women not named Venus or Serena Williams to win a Grand Slam since 1992 when Jennifer Capriati won the Australian Open.
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