In a match that lasted an hour and 33 minutes, Clijsters took the first set that saw her take a 2-0 lead before Wozniacki, in her first grand slam final, took the next four games to go 4-2.

CNN: Unseeded Clijsters secures U.S. Open victory

Initially showing the nerves typical of a player making her Grand Slam final debut, Ms. Azarenka found herself serving at 0-2, 0-30.

WSJ: Azarenka Wins Australian Title

She has pressed on since, adding a further 11 WTA titles and reaching her highest ranking of No. 2 in 2012, a year when she reached her first grand slam final -- albeit beaten by (who else?) Serena Williams at Wimbledon.

CNN: Net gain

That's far ahead of the next-highest at a men's Grand Slam semifinal or final since 1991, as far back as return winning percentage stats are available: 2.74 in Roger Federer's defeat of Tommy Haas in the 2009 Wimbledon semifinals.

WSJ: Heard on the Pitch