US Open: Flavia Pennetta beats Roberta Vinci to win women’s title and then calls it quits

FLAVIA Pennetta announced her immediate retirement from tennis after winning the US Open and becoming the oldest first-time women’s grand slam champion.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Flavia Pennetta of Italy celebrates with the winner's trophy after defeating Roberta Vinci of Italy during their Women's Singles Final match on Day Thirteen of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Pennetta defeated Vinci 7-6, 6-2. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

ITALIAN Flavia Pennetta defeated her childhood friend to become the unexpected US Open Champion, and then promptly retired from tennis as she accepted her trophy.

Playing mostly to a crowd that bought tickets expecting to see world number one Serena Williams make history, the Italian duo fought it out with the crafty shots that had seen them both progress past some of the game’s best players to the final.

Roberta Vinci was unable to repeat her stunning upset from a day earlier when she defeated Williams, but showed no sings of disappointment — the unseeded player seemed simply thrilled to be there.

Flavia Pennetta celebrates after her straight sets win.

Pennetta — who first played Vinci when she was just nine years old — defeated her in two sets, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Pennetta said yesterday it was playing Australian Sam Stosur in the fourth round that she realised maybe she could win the tournament.

“I was trying to play every match like my last one,” she told ESPN.

“Sam was the moment where I really believed ok maybe this is the right time for me,” she said.

After the match, Pennetta and Vinci hugged excitedly at the net.

They sat side by side in players’ chairs waiting for the court to be prepared for the presentation whispering, chatting and laughing.

Then, Pennetta lent in dropped her retirement bombshell quietly to her friend.

Vinci eyes popped — “huh?” she said.

The runner up considered the revelation for a second then changed her mind, urging her friend on.

Good friends Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci embrace after their final showdown.

“(She said) It’s perfect — go, go,” Pennetta said later.

Pennetta said it was becoming harder for her to compete and she would play only until the end of the year.

“This the way I would like to say goodbye to tennis,” she told a stunned crowd with tears in her eyes, before hoisting the trophy above her head.

Vinci had saved six break points before Pennetta cracked through in the fifth game of the first set.

Vinci then broke back but it wasn’t enough and her friend took the tie breaker. The second set was less of a fight, with Pennetta storming to victory.

She won US$3.3m.

World number one Novak Djokovic will play world number two Roger Federer in a blockbuster men’s final early this morning (Australian time).