Venus and Serena Williams won their 10th Grand Slam doubles title together and their third this season.

The fourth-seeded Williams sisters, who have already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles titles this year, defeated top seeds and number ones Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-2 6-2 in the 2009 US Open final.

In singles, both Venus and Serena lost to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. Venus was upset in the fourth round, while Serena controversially exited the tournament in the semifinals. (photo via BBC)

Serena Williams was fined $10,500 by officials at the US Open and could face further sanctions for her angry outburst during the semifinal against Kim Clijsters.

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Stacey Allaster issued a statement in support of the United States Tennis Association’s decision.

Serena Williams’ conduct last night was inappropriate and unprofessional. No matter what the circumstances, no player should be allowed to engage in such behavior without suffering consequences. I have spoken with the USTA about this matter and I agree with the action they have taken.

Pursuant to the Grand Slam Rule Book, the USTA fined Serena the maximum penalty of $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and $500 for racquet abuse.

Not formally, but Serena Williams apologized to her fans via a written statement released by her management.

Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don’t agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience.

(source: On the Baseline, photo by our reader Colleen)

What a way to start a comeback! Playing only her third tournament after taking a two-year break and starting a family, wildcard Kim Clijsters went all the way to the US Open title, and from an unranked player she'll soon become No.19, according to projections.

I suppose that everyone, except Denmark, rooted for the 2005 US Open champion Clijsters in this final, and despite her ranking and lack of match play, the Belgian was favored to defeat the first time Grand Slam finalist, No.9 seed Caroline Wozniacki. That was exactly what happened, and Clijsters clinched title with a 7-5 6-3 victory.

Nevertheless, congrats to the 19-year-old Wozniacki for making the finals and becoming the first Dane, man or woman, to reach the finals of a Grand Slam in the Open Era.

On route to the title Clijsters defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova, No.14 seed Marion Bartoli, Kirsten Flipkens, No.3 seed Venus Williams, No.18 seed Li Na, No.2 seed Serena Williams and finally No.9 seed Caroline Wozniacki.

The 26-year-old Clijsters has become the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who won Wimbledon in 1980. (photo via Life.com)

As you all know, the US Open women’s semifinal between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters ended infamously. Williams was called for a foot fault which handed Clijsters two match points. Provoked, the 11-time Grand Slam champion yelled at and threatened the line judge and was consequently penalized which caused her to lose such an important match.

The incident will be investigated by the International Tennis Federation, Grand Slam Committee and US Open referee Brian Earley. A representative from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is also expected to be included.

Let's see what the world No.2 Williams, who is expected to be fined heavily, said about the scandal at the post-match press conference.

(source: Women Who Serve)

I fell asleep and missed the much-awaited semifinal between former No.1 and 2005 US Open champion Kim Clijsters and current world No.2 and 11-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, to wake up with the news that Clijsters progressed (wow!) and that the victory was quite controversial.

Since I didn’t watch the match, I have to say that for me the fact that wildcard Clijsters reached the final leaves a much greater impression than the controversy. I mean, who could put their money on Kim prior to the US Open? We all knew she was a great champion, and had a great potential even after child-birth and playing just the third tournament of her 2009 comeback, but a Grand Slam final is a very high goal. Not to mention that the title is not far away for Kim, having in mind her opponent will be world No.8 Caroline Wozniacki, who had never before went further than the fourth round at a Grand Slam.

Now let’s see what brought about the controversy. Serving at 5-6 15-30, the second-seeded Williams was called for a foot fault on a second serve, giving Clijsters two match points. The outraged Williams said a lot of things to the lineswoman, which resulted in a penalty and losing the point and the match.

"I swear to God I'm… going to take this… ball and shove it down your… throat, you hear that? I swear to God," said Williams, who will now not overtake Dinara Safina at the top of the rankings.

"It's unfortunate that a match I was playing so well in had to end that way," said Clijsters after a 6-4 7-5 victory. "The normal feelings of winning a match weren't quite there, but when everything sunk in a little bit and what happened got explained to me, it became easier to understand, not to celebrate, but at least to have a little joy."

The Belgian is the first player ever to beat both Williams sisters at the same tournament twice, having also done it at the Sony Ericsson Championships in 2002 (at the 2009 US Open she beat Venus in the fourth round).

If Clijsters wins the final, she will enter the Top 20 and become the first women's wildcard to win a Grand Slam singles title, and if she loses she will rise to around No.30 in the rankings.

Let's just give some space to the other semifinal as well. Apparently, there will be no all-Belgian final at this US Open, as Danish Caroline Wozniacki defeated unseeded and error-prone Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-3 6-3 in the other semifinal. The surprise semifinalist Wickmayer made 40 unforced errors, compared to Wozniacki's 14. (sources: Reuters, Sony Eriscsson WTA Tour, videos via Forty Deuce)