It was one of the more improbable and unlikely finals matches in recent memory as unseeded Roberta Vinci met 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta in an all-Italian clash at the US Open. With the New York crowd still stunned following the losses of Serena Williams and Simona Halep in the semifinals, it was Pennetta prevailing to win her first Grand Slam event, 7-6 6-2. She would also provide the tennis world with a surprise afterwards.

In the first set, two players who know each other very well both appeared tight as they got their feet wet in their first major final. There were a number of awkward strokes that included mishits and cautious groundstrokes. But it was Pennetta breaking through first after a long service game from her fellow countrywoman, who could not hold serve. Pennetta consolidated the break to take a 4-2 lead as Vinci tried to work through her nerves. But the 33-year-old would soon follow with a very shaky service game of her own that included a number of errors. Vinci looked to gain some confidence by regaining a service break. The set would be decided by a tiebreak.

In the tiebreak, Pennetta found her serve early and, after a couple of sprayed groundstrokes by Vinci, would gain a solid advantage. She would serve out a set that took an hour to complete.

In the second set, Pennetta found a weakness in her opponent’s serve, and she would take a quick advantage by breaking twice early to gain a 4-0 lead. And while Vinci would fight back, it wasn’t nearly enough to dent the insurmountable deficit.

Vinci would only win 36 percent of her first-serve points in the second set and 29 percent of her second offerings. Meanwhile, Pennetta would finally shake any nerves by playing a clean set in which she misfired on only three unforced errors to go with 11 winners.

It appeared that Vinci was never able to completely get past the lingering hangover from her epic upset of Serena Williams, which denied the American a chance at a calendar-year Grand Slam. Her 30 unforced errors were too much to overcome in the match.

Afterwards, Pennetta took many off-guard as she announced her retirement from tennis. During the post-match interview she took the microphone to announce, “Before I started this tournament, one month ago, I made a big decision in my life. And this is why I would like to say goodbye to tennis.” As the stunned crowd reacted, she continued, “No, you don’t have to be like this. I’m really happy. It’s what all players want to do, go home with one of these big trophies. So this one was my last match at the U. S. Open and I couldn’t think to finish a better way. I want to thank everyone who supported me during my career. All my coaches, my family, who aren’t here, but they’re going to be proud of me. I love you guys.”

Vinci praised her friend, “It was tough, for over 24 hours there were a lot of things on my mind, a little tired. But I’m really happy to be in the final, really happy for Flavia. It’s tough to play someone you have known for a long time. Flavia played a great match.”

The final wrapped up a tumultuous fortnight in New York in the women’s draw. It saw unexpected results throughout and provided one of the all-time biggest upsets in sports when Williams was upset on Friday. The men’s final is Sunday afternoon.