Best US Open Finals Ever : The Countdown

To celebrate the final Grand Slam event of the year, I'll be counting down the Top 14 US Open finals of all-time, one for each day of the tournament.

It wasn't an easy selection to make, just picking 14 finals out of more than 100 years (the men started in 1881, the ladies in 1887) of candidates, and I'm sure they'll be some hurt feelings and some "What are you crazy? accusations along the way, but that's what picking the best of the best is all about.

To coincide with each day of the open, I'll have a new spot on the countdown, starting today, Aug. 30 (Day One of the Open) with our #14 selection -- the 2009 Women's Final between Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki.

Wozniacki was on the rise in the late summer of 2009, having won three Tour titles in 2008 and 2009. She reached the finals of the US Open six weeks after her 19th birthday, becoming the first Danish player - man or woman - to ever reach a Grand Slam final.

Clijsters was at the other end of the spectrum. She was 26, and had taken nearly two years off to enjoy life married with children. She hadn't won a Grand Slam title since her lone singles crown at the US Open in 2005.

Entering the tournament as a wild card, Clijsters stunned both Venus and Serena Williams to reach the final. Wozniacki battled her tooth and nail before dropping the first set 7-5, and Clijsters used the momentum to take a 6-3 second set, oneof the most remarkable comebacks in WTA history. The win became even more picture perfect when Clijsters' daughter rushed the court to celebrate with her mom.

The two women enter this year's Open as top choices, along with Venus, to claim the championship. Wozniacki is ranked No. 2 in the world and has won the last two WTA titles - the Rogers Cup and Pilot Pen. Clijsters won at Cincinnati three weeks ago and has vaulted from fifth in the world to third, bypassing the staggering Jelena Jankovic as well as Venus.

What's your favorite US Open final ever? Talk about it in our men's and women's forums!

Come back tomorrow for our #13 Best US Open Final Ever!