Defending U.S. Open champion Serena Williams reflects on her first title at Flushing Meadows in 1999, when she beat three Grand Slam champions -- Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and, Martina Hingis -- when she was just a teenager.
“Honestly, when the tournament started, I told myself I was going to win and I felt it,” she said. “It’s weird. I have these weird feelings all the time, and I just felt I was going to win this tournament. I wasn’t really surprised. I was happy and elated, but I just had this instinct I was going to win this title. All the players I played I had pretty much beaten before. I had beaten Martina a few times and Monica and Lindsay. I knew I could do it. It was just putting them all together.”