In an exciting match between two Italians, Flavia Pennetta proved she was the better player by beating Roberta Vinci last Saturday. Pennetta took home the U.S. Open 2015 title, becoming the only second Italian woman to win one of the tennis majors. She won 7-6(4) 6-2, putting a stop to the strong run of Vinci, who shockingly defeated grand slam candidate Serena Williams before moving up to the finals.
Vinci, who actually hails from the same region as Pennetta, congratulated her childhood friend after the game. "I am really happy and really happy for Flavia. It's tough to play against a player who you have known for a long time. I tried to play my best, but Flavia played unbelievable and I have to say congrats to her," she said.
In a surprising twist of events, 33-year-old Pennetta, who won a $3.3 million prize for her win, announced her retirement after the game.
"One month ago I decided that this is the way I would say goodbye to tennis," she said in her post-game interview. She added, "This is my last and I couldn't think of finishing in a better way."
Pennetta will still play for the rest of the year. She has two scheduled tournaments in China and a possible WTA Finals in Singapore before she throws in the towel.
"Sometimes it's getting hard for me to compete," Pennetta admitted. "It was a really hard decision but I'm really happy I did it. I'm really happy and proud of myself."
All of Italy rejoiced, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was seen among the crowd, cheering for their two homegrown players.
Greetings also came from all over the world. Serena Williams tweeted her congratulations, saying "I'm so happy you won. You deserved it. I'm also happy for the rest of your life's journey. I will miss your smile."
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet on the court on Sunday, Sept. 13 for the U.S. Open's Men's Division finals.
