Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal

Sports rarely adhere to a predictable narrative. Favorites falter, underdogs upset, and by the end of the day you’re left with fewer certainties than when it began. That was not the case at the 2013 U.S. Open.

This time, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal–the two best tennis players in the world–did what they were supposed to do: they won.

The pair triumphed in such a convincing fashion that it’s hard to believe that only two months ago some people wondered whether their best days were behind them. In late June, both fell in the early rounds of Wimbledon, but for each it was a rare stumble in the midst of an otherwise terrific season.

Williams is now 67-4 in 2013, with nine titles and two Grand Slam championships. Nadal is 60-3, with 10 titles and two Slams. But they share more than just remarkable 2013 campaigns. To capture the championship, each defeated a world-class nemesis–Victoria Azarenka for Williams, and Novak Djokovic for Nadal. And they earned those wins in Flushing, N.Y., by physically and mentally dominating their opponents.

Williams, with 17, and Nadal, with 13, now have 30 Grand Slam titles between them, including five U.S. Open championships for Williams and two for Nadal. Neither shows any sign of slowing down soon, which is great news for anyone in search of a convenient tennis narrative. For their opponents? Not quite so much.