Two great friends will vie for the US Open 2014 women's singles title when defending champion and world number one Serena Williams take on Caroline Wozniacki in the final on Sunday.
Williams has of course been here and done it many a time before, winning 17 Grand Slam singles title already in her career. And that experience will come in handy against Wozniacki, who has only ever made it to one Grand Slam final – in the 2009 US Open.
"I think every match hopefully I'm getting better," said Williams. "I think I played really well in my quarterfinal minus the slow start. I think I served better in my quarterfinal. With that being said, it's good news knowing I could try to serve better for one more match.
"I definitely expect a close match. She really knows my game well and knows how to play. She's so consistent. I think that's one of the things that makes her really tough. So I just have to be ready for that and, again, just stay calm and just be able to relax and be happy.
"The beginning -- the past six months I would never have thought I'd be here. I think it's just staying calm and happy."
Playing a close friend on the court in such a momentous match is never easy, but having locked horns with her elder sister Venus on quite a few occasions in the past, Williams should not have too any problems in putting aside her friendship with Wozniacki when it comes to match time on Sunday.
"If I can play Venus, I can play anybody," Williams added. "I grew up with Venus. We actually lived together going on 33 years. So, yeah, if I could play her I feel like I can just play anybody."
For Wozniacki this is a shot at redemption, after many had written her off, even when she was the world number one. If the Dane can win her first Grand Slam title, it will give the 24-year-old a major fillip to a career which has languished in the shadows over the past couple of years.
"She's obviously a great player," said Wozniacki of Serena. "She's won so many Grand Slams. She's a good friend of mine. We were saying when the tournament started, we're like, 'Yes, we're in separate sides of the drawing, so hopefully we can meet in the finals.'
"It would be great if that were to happen. I don't want to jinx her now, but she's obviously a tough opponent. When she's on fire, she's hard to beat. But I have had two tough matches against her the last few weeks. I was really close. Hopefully for me that would be third time's the charm.
"It [winning the title] would mean so much to me. I have been close before, but, you know, it's obviously a Grand Slam final. I would love to win it and have a Grand Slam under my belt. It would definitely have the media stop talking about my lack of a Grand Slam, so that would be nice."
Where to Watch Live
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The final is scheduled to start at around 2 am IST. Live coverage in India will be on Ten Sports while the live streaming option is HERE. International viewers can catch the action for free HERE or listen to the action HERE.
Eurosport will broadcast matches live in Europe, with the option to live stream the action HERE. US viewers can catch the match on Sky Sports 3 or via live streaming HERE or HERE. Listen to the action live online on BBC HERE. Watch the match live online on ESPN and CBS Sports in the United States or watch online via live streaming HERE or HERE.
