Samantha Stosur stunned home favourite Serena Williams 6-2 6-3 to claim her maiden grand slam title in an ill-tempered women's US Open final.
The ninth seed clinched victory with a crunching forehand winner after one hour and 13 minutes to become the first Australian woman to win in New York since Margaret Court back in 1973.
A disgruntled Williams, the red-hot favourite going into the final, will now wait to find out if she will be punished for unleashing another verbal rant at an official at the start of the second set.
Stosur,
whose previous best run at a Grand Slam was a runner-up finish at Roland Garros last year, started strongly and broke Williams in the third game after a succession of booming groundstrokes from the back of the court.
whose previous best run at a Grand Slam was a runner-up finish at Roland Garros last year, started strongly and broke Williams in the third game after a succession of booming groundstrokes from the back of the court.
For years it has been Serena and sister Venus who have bullied players with their power hitting, however it was Stosur who was timing the ball sweeter throughout the opening exchanges.
Williams was only making 30 per cent of her first serves by the fifth game and the American was relieved to see her opponent squander another break point opportunity.
Memorable
At 4-2 ahead, Stosur had only dropped three points on serve, but Serena was finding life much more difficult and a 10th unforced error handed Stosur three more break points, of which she took the first, to move 5-2 ahead.
Stosur won 12 points in a row to take the first set in 30 minutes, but it was at the start of the second where the match exploded into life.
Defending another break point on her opening service game, Williams was left seething after she had a point reversed by umpire Eva Asderaki.
The three-time champion struck a forehand winner but the point was handed to Stosur after the American was penalised for screaming 'come on' with the ball still in play.
Williams, who is still playing under a suspended ban after abusing a line judge at Flushing Meadows last year, unleashed a verbal rant at the chair umpire this time, and the incident appeared to re-energise the 29-year-old who broke back instantly.
With the packed-out Arthur Ashe crowd roaring her on, Williams then failed to take either of the two break points opened up on Stosur's next service game, and that was to prove costly.
The world No.10 from Queensland broke Williams for a fourth time in the seventh game and held her nerve to complete a memorable and thoroughly deserved victory.
Speaking after her breakthrough win, Stosur said: "I guess I had one of my best days. I'm very fortunate to have been able to do it on this stage in New York, where i've always loved to play.
"It was a dream of mine to be here one day and I don't know what to say to describe how I'm feeling."
A magnanimous Williams added: "She played, really, really well. I tried my hardest but she just kept hitting winners."
Speaking on the controversial moment at the start of the second set, Williams said: "I hit a winner but I guess it didn't count. It wouldn't have mattered in the end, Sam played really well."