Serena Williams serves against Li Na.(Photo: Jerry Lai USA TODAY Sports)
Story Highlights- Serena Williams faces off against Victoria Azarenka for the title on Sunday
- Williams hasn't dropped a set on her way to the final
- She leads the series 12-3, but Azarenka won twice this year in hardcourt finals
NEW YORK Off court, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka are chummy if not best friends. They have an easy air around each other, unlike some chillier relationships near the top of the sport that have spilled over into the public domain this season.
That goes out the window Sunday when No. 1 Williams and No. 2 Azarenka clash in the U.S. Open women's final with year-end bragging rights up for grabs.
Only one of them French Open champion Williams of the USA or Australian Open winner Azarenka of Belarus will emerge with two Grand Slam titles in 2013.
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"We're experienced enough, especially Serena, to know that on court is business," Azarenka said after Friday's semifinals, where she and Williams set up a rematch of last year's dramatic final that the American won after trailing 3-5 in the decisive set.
Both Williams, 31, and Azarenka, 24, are having perhaps their finest seasons.
Williams is 66-4 this year and has reached the final in 10 of 12 events, winning eight. Since Wimbledon last year, she is 97-5 with 13 titles.
Azarenka is 42-4 and a tour-best 31-1 (.968) on hardcourts this season while winning her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Williams, a 16-time major champion, has discovered a revived motivation following her nearly yearlong absence in 2010-11 due to a series of accidents and illnesses.
Sensing her age and history, she has dedicated herself with renewed vigor. Under French coaching adviser Patrick Mouratoglou, she has taken her game to a new level, playing well at nearly every tournament instead of saving her best for the biggest stages and improving her fitness, court coverage and variety.
Li Na's coach Carlos Rodriguez, who worked with former No. 1 Justine Henin during her many battles with Williams, said Williams is no longer simply a power player after she dispatched Li 6-3, 6-0 in Friday's semifinals.
"Today she can do other things," he said.
Never has that been so apparent than in New York, where she has romped to the final dropping a career-low 16 games in six matches, the lowest at a major in 25 years.
Victoria Azarenka celebrates after defeating Flavia Pennetta.(Photo: Robert Deutsch USA TODAY Sports)
Once prone to anger-infused meltdowns, Azarenka also has ratcheted up her game both physically and between the ears under French coach Sam Sumyk.
"Mentally I felt like it was a great turning point for me on some level for my career," she said of her last 12 months.
In this season of Williams' revitalized dominance, Azarenka has come closest to staking a claim as a true rival.
She is responsible for two of Williams' four losses and has emerged as the one player that does not look beaten before she walks on the court.
"I think she feels that she can beat Serena, which not all the players feel," Mouratoglou said.
But she remains a heavy underdog with defending U.S. Open champion Williams so far obliterating the competition.
"You've got to fight," said the 24-year-old native of Minsk. "You've got to run, you've got to grind, and you've got to bite with your teeth for whatever opportunity you have. She's obviously an amazing player. She's the greatest of all time."
There will be no secrets between them.
They have squared off four times this year and 15 times overall.
Williams holds a commanding 12-3 head-to-head record, but Azarenka took two of their last three meetings on hardcourts (not including a walkover in January), including a tight three-set tiebreak victory in the Cincinnati finals two weeks ago.
"Well, I know her game as well as she knows mine," Williams said following her defeat of No. 5 seed Li. "She knows what I do great, what I do bad, and what I can do better. I know the same thing. At this point, it's just all about just playing some tennis now."
The match will come down to nerves and execution, but it will also hinge on serving.
The steady and aggressive Belarusian can hold her own at the baseline with Williams and keep herself in service games with her top-flight returns. But if her serving struggles persist, she could be in for a long afternoon.
Williams has had her service broken just twice in the tournament. Azarenka dropped it five times in her semifinal defeat of Italy's Flavia Pennetta.
In six matches Azarenka has hit 10 aces but also a costly 31 double faults. Williams, by contrast, has unleashed 25 aces with just 10 double faults.
Azarenka knows she has had some scratchy matches in New York.
Despite the easiest draw on paper her opponents averaged a ranking of No. 103 she spent more time on court than any of the other semifinalists (8:19) and twice battled through three-set matches.
After her 6-4, 6-2 defeat of 83rd-ranked Pennetta, Azarenka admitted in her on-court interview that "It's been a long road to the final."
But Sumyk said that was a testament to her improving maturity and means there are extra gears waiting to kick in.
"She's not playing her best," Sumyk said. "She's in the final. Why shouldn't I be happy about that?"
The key for Williams is staying mentally fresh, imposing her game on Azarenka and controlling her nerves, which can flare up at times.
"I got tight, which happens sometimes," Williams said of her difficult final few games against Li. "I just needed to relax, and then when I did relax she played some good points."
Mouratoglou said the real danger is underestimation.
"I agree that she's playing really good tennis but we have to be really careful not to be overconfident especially before playing Victoria," he said. "I've said it before: She's always able to play her best tennis in the big matches and especially against the best players and Serena.
He added: "Serena knows that Victoria is dangerous and that she will have to play her best tennis to beat her."
While Williams won a coveted second French Open, she will view 2013 as a disappointment if she does not emerge with a second Grand Slam trophy after devastating losses in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and fourth round at Wimbledon.
"Even if she wins she will tell me it was a disaster to lose so early at Wimbledon," Mouratoglou said with a smile of Williams' perfection-driving professionalism.
Martina Navratilova said expectations are firmly in the American's corner, but so far she has shown no signs of cracking.
"Hats off to Serena," said Navratilova, who comments for Tennis Channel. "You know that she's feeling more pressure anybody out there but she handles it so well."
GALLERY: U.S. OPEN DAY 12
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