Flavia Pennetta won her first grand slam singles title by defeating Roberta Vinci in an all-Italian US Open final on Saturday then added one more shock to a stunning fortnight by announcing her retirement.

Zoom

Flavia Pennetta won her first Grand Slam singles title Saturday, defeating Italian compatriot Roberta Vinci 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in the US Open women's final, then promptly retired. (All AFP images)

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Pennetta became, at 33, the oldest first-time Grand Slam women's champion in the Open era with the 93-minute triumph.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

But only moments after accepting the trophy, she said she had decided to retire after her ultimate victory.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Pennetta took the top prize of $3.3 million (2.9 million euros), while runner-up Vinci received $1.6 million.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

The breakthrough win came in Pennetta's 49th Grand Slam appearance, the most needed for any women's major champion, two more than France's Marion Bartoli when she won at Wimbledon in 2013.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Pennetta, ranked 26th, and Vinci, ranked 43rd, each played in her first Grand Slam final after pulling a semi-final shocker. Vinci shattered the hopes of Serena Williams to achieve the first calendar Slam since 1988 with a semi-final win over the top-ranked defending champion while Pennetta dispatched Romania's second-ranked Simona Halep.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Friends since childhood in southern Italy, Vinci, 32, and Pennetta had the oldest combined ages of any Open Era Grand Slam final duo, beating the former mark of just under 64 years from when Virginia Wade beat Betty Stove in the 1977 Wimbledon final.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Vinci shrugged off her US Open final loss to fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta by dreaming of home-made pasta and enjoying her last New York hamburger.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Poking fun at what she described as her poor command of English, Vinci admitted she was a fan of the host city but yearned for her home in Taranto in the south of Italy.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Far from being despondent after her 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 loss to her childhood friend, the 32-year-old Vinci instead showed off a nice line in stand-up comedy.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Pennetta and boyfriend, Italian tour player Fabio Fognini, the man who knocked out Rafael Nadal, shared a kiss on court and in the corridors of the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones among 23,771 in Arthur Ashe Stadium watching the first all-Italian women's Grand Slam final of the Open Era.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit
Zoom

Playing in her 11th US Open, Pennetta said she was stunned to have gone so far in the competition.

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit

Back to Tennis photos

Tennis Photos

Flavia Pennetta Wins US Open, Then Retires

Flavia Pennetta won her first grand slam singles title by defeating Roberta Vinci in an all-Italian US Open final on Saturday then added one more shock to a stunning fortnight by announcing her retirement.