Samantha Stosur wrote sports history when on Sunday, she displayed composure in a tense final match with American Serena Williams to pull off a stunning 6-2 6-3 upset at the 2011 U.S. Open, which ended Australia's decade-long title drought in any Grand Slam event.

The last time an Australian won the Flushing Meadows honours was when Lleyton Hewitt turned back then heavily-favoured Pete Sampras ten years ago, making Stosur's victory all the more significant.

Her successful New York campaign elicited praises from Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who called the win 'outstanding' and should pave the way for young Australians to follow the lead of Stosur.

Before her, the last female Australian to win the U.S. Open was Margaret Court Smith who captured the title in 1973 and years went by before the country was again honoured by a Grand Slam win when Evonne Goolagong Cawley secured her second Wimbledon in 1980.

The fully-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, with most of the spectators expectedly rooting for the former world number one Williams, was treated with a sports spectacle that underscored an emotionally-charged event due to backdrops of 9/11 memorials.

Obviously all-psyched for the event, Stosur immediately flashed tennis brilliance that belied the odds that were stacked against her - she was definitely new to the nerve-wracking experience and she was trying to win against a slugger that brandishes 13 major titles.

Yet determination and grit won the day for Stosur as she easily showed who the better player was that day while Williams melted away in defeat, but not without creating a ripple when the chair umpire penalised the American for verbal hindrance.

Williams was caught yelling 'come on' as Stosur was about to fire off from baseline, attracting boos from the partisan crowd but also costing Williams a penalty, which only prompted her to blaze away points that broke the Australian for the first time in the match.

For a while, Stosur appeared tentative after the controversial call but she immediately recollected herself and worked her way back to a 5-3 lead on the second set and served out the match by sending Williams way a searing forehand that sealed the title.

Meanwhile, Ms Gillard heaped praises on the Queenslander's first ever Grand Slam title, declaring that Stosur "displayed great skill and poise to overcome obvious nerves to beat the crowd favourite."

"She has shown great determination and skill to win the US Open and everyone involved with tennis in Australia will be celebrating with her today," the Prime Minister was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying.

Also, Ms Gillard expressed optimism that Stosur's historic win "will encourage the next generation of young Australian players to take to the court."