WRAPUP 1-Tennis-Serena Williams beats Azarenka in US Open final

* Williams wins 17th grand slam singles crown

* Azarenka says better player won

* Paes and Stepanek win men's doubles title

* Croatian sweep of the junior championships (Adds details, quotes)

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Serena Williams repeated as U.S. Open women's champion by holding off a battling Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7-5 6-7(6) 6-1 in a windblown final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.

Williams bounded in a series of joyous jumping jack leaps after Azarenka's backhand sailed long on the second match point of a thrilling, two-hour 45-minute final that earned her a fifth U.S. Open singles title that took her total to 17 grand slams.

The big-hitting American, who turns 32 later this month, became the oldest U.S. Open women's winner since tennis turned professional 45 years ago, eclipsing Australian Margaret Court, who was 31 years and 55 days when she won the title in 1973.

The triumph moved Williams to within one grand slam singles crown of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for a tie for fourth place on the all-time list behind Court (24), Steffi Graf (22) and Helen Wills Moody (19).

It had looked like it was going to be plain sailing for Williams after she won a difficult first set, boosted by a late break in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead and then served out a love game before racing to a 4-1 second-set lead.

Williams, who earlier looked confounded by the gusty wind that affected service tosses and the direction of bounces off groundstrokes and was muttering to herself between points, finally settled into a rhythm in the second set.

"The wind was unbelievable," said the champion. "And it just got worse and worse and it never let up. But at this point you have to play under any circumstance."

She claimed the 4-1 lead after Azarenka double-faulted three times in the fifth and her U.S. Open repeat looked a certainty as she begun to find her range on her imposing service game that saw her serve broken only twice in six previous matches.

But Azarenka was not ready to capitulate.

"I think it was raising from the first point, the tension, the battle, the determination," the second seed said about the quality of the match. "It was really kind of like boiling the water. It felt from every point, it was rising the level."

'GREAT MATCH'

The Belarusian showed her fight and took advantage of a string of Williams errors to break right back for 4-2 and rode that momentum.

Twice Williams served for the match, at 5-4 and again at 6-5, but Azarenka rose up to break the American's serve and force a tiebreaker.

Williams took a 3-1 lead but Azarenka won five of the next six points to seize a 6-4 advantage and sent the match to a third set when Williams belted a backhand long to lose it 8-6.

"I think I got a little uptight," Williams said about squandering her chances. "I wasn't playing smart tennis. (But) you have to keep fighting for everything."

The third set stayed on serve until the fourth game when another double fault, her seventh of the match, sank Azarenka and handed Williams a 3-1 lead.

With the stadium crowd roaring their support for the home favorite, the American broke Azarenka two games later for good measure to make it 5-1 before she claimed victory when the Belarusian sent a backhand long on the second match point.

Williams blasted 36 winners in the match against 17 for Azarenka, and blasted nine aces against just two for the Belarusian, who won an impressive 10 of 15 points at the net when she stepped up the pressure on Williams.

"Victoria, you played unbelievable," said Williams at the trophy ceremony.

"What a great match and what a great person. Vika is such a great opponent, she's such a great fighter. It was never over until match point," added Williams.

The top seed collected the $2.6 million top prize and pocketed an addition $1 million bonus for having won the U.S. Open run-up series of tournaments.

Azarenka said she had been beaten by the better player.

"It is a tough loss. But the best player deserves the win today. I gave it all again this year," said Azarenka, who lost 7-5 in the third set to Williams in last year's final.

"We gave it everything we got."

In the men's doubles final, Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek were convincing winners over Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares.

The India-Czech pairing of Paes and Stepanek dominated the title match to record a 6-1 6-3 victory over their Austria-Brazil rivals.

Paes, 40, won his third U.S. Open doubles title and eighth major doubles title of his career. It was Stepanek's second major doubles win after claiming the 2012 Australian Open with Paes.

Stepanek, 34, said the win enabled them to qualify for an important goal.

"There is one thing we would like to achieve, and that's winning the world championships at the end of the year, because that's the trophy which is missing in Leander's showcase," the Czech said.

Croatia made a clean sweep of the junior singles titles when Borna Coric and Ana Konjuh posted victories at Flushing Meadows.

The fourth-seeded Coric beat Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-6 6-3 6-1 in the boys' final before second-seeded Konjuh beat U.S. wildcard Tornado Black 3-6 6-4 7-6(6).

Coric, 16, said the U.S. Open would be his last junior tournament.

"I've won the slam" he said about his Sunday victory. "That was the goal at the beginning of the year."

Coric has been named to Croatia's Davis Cup team for the tie next week against Britain at Umag. (Reporting by Larry Fine, Editing by Gene Cherry/Peter Rutherford)

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US Open - Williams outlasts Azarenka to retain title in New York

Williams twice served for the title in the second set as Azarenka battled back from a 4-1 deficit.

But the Belarusian had nothing left in the third set and the world number one wrapped up the title at the third time of asking when a backhand return drifted long from Azarenka.

Williams bounded in a series of jumping jack leaps after securing the win on the second match point of the thrilling, two-hour and 45-minute final.

In winning the title rematch against second-seeded Azarenka, world number one Williams claimed her fifth US Open crown and 17th career grand slam singles title.

The big-hitting American, who turns 32 later this month, became the oldest US Open women's winner since tennis turned professional 45 years ago, eclipsing Australian Margaret Court, who was 31 years and 55 days when she won the title in 1973.

It had looked like it was going to be plain sailing for Williams after she won the first set, boosted by a late break in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead and then served out a love game.

Williams, who earlier looked confounded by the gusty wind that affected service tosses and the direction of bounces off groundstrokes, finally settled into a rhythm and surged to a 4-1 lead in the second set after Azarenka double-faulted three times in the fifth game.

But the Belarusian broke right back for 4-2 and rode that momentum.

Twice Williams served for the match, at 5-4 and again at 6-5, but Azarenka rose up to break the American's serve and force a tiebreaker.

Williams raced to a 3-1 lead in the breaker, but Azarenka won five of the next six points to seize a 6-4 lead and send the championship match to a third set when Williams belted a backhand long to lose it 8-6.

The third set stayed on serve until the fourth game when another double fault, her seventh of the match, sank Azarenka and handed Williams a 3-1 lead.

Williams broke Azarenka two game later for good measure to make it 5-1 and then claimed victory when the Belarusian sent a backhand long on the second match point.

"Victoria, you played unbelievable," said Williams at the trophy ceremony.

"What a great match and what a great person. Vika is such a great opponent, she's such a great fighter. It was never over until match point," added Williams, who collected the $2.6 million (£1.6m) top prize and pocketed an addition $1 million (£639,549) bonus for having won the US Open run-up series of tournaments.

Azarenka said she had been beaten by the better player.

"It is a tough loss. But the best player deserves the win today. I gave it all again this year," said Azarenka, who lost 7-5 in the third set to Williams in last year's final. "We gave it everything we got."

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US Open - Gallant Azarenka feels pain of defeat once more

"I'm not going to lie. It hurts bad," she conceded after a 7-5 6-7(6) 6-1 at Flushing Meadows. "It's okay. I did everything I could. I gave my heart. I fought as hard as I could.

"I lost to a great champion and I'm still going to have my head up."

After losing the first set, Azarenka produced a phenomenal second where she fought back from 1-4 and 3-5 down to force a decider at an electrified Arthur Ashe Stadium as Williams twice blew chances to earn a straight-sets victory.

But the 24-year-old Azarenka was unable to carry momentum into the deciding set as Williams, who had thrown her racquet into her chair at the changeover, took care of the third set to complete victory in two hours and 45 minutes.

"She really made it happen," Azarenka said.

"There was no letdown. It was a moment in the third set that the momentum changed a little bit, and I kind of felt like I lost that momentum. In that particular moment she was tougher today. She was more consistent and deserved to win."

The ball-striking was superb from the top two players in the world. Azarenka showed enormous determination to recover from two breaks down in the second set, but her fightback took its toll.

Come the third set, she was running on empty.

"It was raising from the first point, the tension, the battle, the determination," Azarenka said. "It felt from every point, it was rising, the level."

Azarenka paid tribute to Williams after the American won the 17th Major singles title of her career.

"Well, there's one word," Azarenka said of Williams.

"She's a champion, and she knows how to repeat that. She knows what it takes to get there. I know that feeling, too. And when two people meet who want that feeling so bad, it's a clash. That's what happens out there with those battles.

"And in the important moments, it is who is more brave. Who is more consistent. Who takes more risk. You can never play safe."

Williams was reaching the pinnacle of her career, said Azarenka.

"She's playing definitely her best tennis right now. It really shows how focused and how composed and how much she can raise the level," she added.

"That's just exciting for me, to be able to compete against that type of player who can be the greatest of all time. I'm playing against that person in the finals of Grand Slams."

The 24-year-old said she was determined to view her US Open as a positive when she visited her family in Belarus this week.

"You cannot sit and say, 'Oh my god, this is the worst thing that could have happened to me.' Because it's not. I just want to take the positive and see the light at the end of the tunnel."

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US Open - Serena, Azarenka one step from title rematch

Williams, the top-seeded defending champion, will look to extend a dominant run through the women's draw against fifth-seeded Li Na of China, who became the first Chinese to reach the last four at the US Open.

Second seed Azarenka will face Italy's unseeded Flavia Pennetta, whose brilliant run at Flushing Meadows has carried her to her first Grand Slam semi-final.

Should form prevail, Williams and Azarenka would set up the first repeat final at the US Open since Serena Williams played her sister Venus Williams for the prize in 2002.

Azarenka, 24, joined the trio of 31 year olds with a last-eight victory over 30-year-old Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in a women's draw that has underlined the fitness and ferocity of the old guard.

Should they lift the trophy on Sunday, Williams, Li or Pennetta would become the oldest US Open women's winner since tennis turned professional in 1968, supplanting Australian Margaret Court, who was 31 years and 55 days old when she triumphed in 1973.

Williams has been on fire, losing only 13 games and spent the least time on court although she has done double duty playing with sister Venus in the women's doubles.

The American aced her quarter-finals test against Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro by delivering a 6-0 6-0 double bagel win.

Williams later offered a shuddering thought.

"I like to believe there is always room for improvement," she said.

Against former French Open winner Li, current French Open champion Williams holds an 8-1 advantage in head-to-head meetings, but has had some hard battles along the way. She won their last encounter in Cincinnati 7-5 7-5 in the semis.

Williams holds the Chinese player in high regard.

"She's a great challenge," Williams said. "She moves really well. She does everything well.

"We've always played really close. Maybe next time we play she might want to go from close to a win."

Li has been on a revenge tour, beating Briton Laura Robson to avenge a 2012 US Open loss, and Serb Jelena Jankovic, who had enjoyed a four-match winning streak against her.

"It's a good challenge to play against her, because I think we always have tough match, even in Cincinnati," said Li.

"There are only four players at end of the tournament, so nothing you can worry about. Just play the tennis. Just enjoy the time."

Azarenka and Pennetta have split their two previous matches, missing a crack at a rubber match when the Belarusian withdrew from their second-round Wimbledon contest this year because of a knee injury.

Pennetta, like Williams, has not dropped a set during her US Open run and is back to playing at her best level after having her 2012 season curtailed by a wrist injury that kept her out of the US Open and required surgery.

"I'm confident because I'm here," said Pennetta, who ousted fourth-seeded compatriot Sara Errani, former champion Svetlana Kunznetsova and red-hot Simona Halep along the way.

"I really don't feel this pressure. In Italy we already have one champion in Grand Slam," she said, referring to 2010 French Open winner Francesca Schiavone.

"I really don't feel this pressure right now."

Azarenka, who overcame former number one Ana Ivanovic 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the fourth round, said she would not underestimate the Italian despite her ranking of 83.

"Flavia is such an amazing person," said Azarenka. "To see her go through the injuries and coming up with the best results she has right now, it's really amazing.

"She's a very good player, an all-around player. She can do anything. She has great touch, great variety. She can create power, create spin. She's also very experienced and has been in the top 10.

"Her ranking doesn't matter. It's about the moment right now, and she's playing terrific tennis."

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US Open - Azarenka dishes out double bagel

In her first match back on the Arthur Ashe Stadium since her gut-wrenching loss to Serena Williams, Azarenka chalked up a rare double-bagel win, thrashing Germany's Dinah Pfizenmaier 6-0 6-0 in just over an hour.

"I'm really happy to be back on this court, the last time I was here it was very emotional," she said.

"To come back and compete at one of the most famous arenas in the world, it's great ... I love New York."

The world number two arrived in the Big Apple brimming with confidence after beating Williams in the final of the Cincinnati Open and was untroubled against Pfizenmaier, ranked 99th.

She hit 14 winners and made just 10 unforced errors but had to fend off three break points on her own serve.

"It was a lot closer than the score," Azarenka said. "I thought I played really well in the important moments and raised my game when I needed to."

Azarenka was just two points away from beating Williams in last year's championship match when the American drew on her all her experience to win a three-set thriller.

It was a painful loss for the fiercely competitive Belarusian but she showed she was quick learner, overcoming her disappointment and rebounding to win her second Australian Open title in January.

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