Her grueling schedule had left even the perennially upbeat teen mildly concerned over her ability to withstand the tough challenges she faced in New York.

But she moved through Flushing Meadows with ease, winning 20 straight sets, including her three qualifying matches, and never facing a tie break.

"Even though I didn't on paper drop a set, I think I faced a lot of adversity in every single one of my matches," she said. "What I did very well this tournament was press in the moments that I really needed to."

Hoisting the trophy to the roaring crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the grand dame of British tennis Virginia Wade looked on, the scene was a far cry from the start of her US Open journey, when she told ESPN she lost her Apple AirPods before her first qualifying match.

Running around and looking for the pricey ear buds, she said she comforted herself by saying, "You win this match, you can buy yourself a pair of AirPods."