Serena Williams wins 5th US Open title in windy final

Fussing with her skirt and flubbing her shots, Serena Williams was troubled in the US Open final by the swirling air and the strong play of Victoria Azarenka.

After one miss, Williams declared, ‘‘I can’t play in this wind.’’ After blowing a big lead and dropping the second set, Williams chucked her racket toward the sideline, and it bounced back onto the court.

In the end, Williams pulled herself together, as she usually does when it matters the most. Facing her only test of the past two weeks, the No. 1-seeded Williams overcame No. 2 Azarenka, 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, Sunday for a fifth championship at Flushing Meadows and second in a row.

Williams, who turns 32 on Sept. 26, raised her Grand Slam singles title count to 17, the sixth-most in history and one shy of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Williams collected a $3.6 million prize, including a $1 million bonus for producing the best results during the North American summer hard-court circuit leading up to the US Open.