By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, July 9, 2016
Serena Williams stopped Angelique Kerber, 7-5, 6-3, capturing her seventh Wimbledon crown to equal Steffi Graf's Open Era record with her 22nd Grand Slam title.
Photo credit: Stephen White/CameraSport
Gazing into the green court, Serena Williams saw glittering history.
She seized it in true Serena style.
Splattering a serve into the corner, Williams blocked a forehand volley, tossed her Wilson racquet aside, spread her arms and toppled backward onto the Centre Court lawn like a woman plunging into a pool of euphoria.
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In an electrifying final, Williams defeated Angelique Kerber, 7-5, 6-3, collecting her seventh Wimbledon title and 22nd Grand Slam championship to equal Steffi Graf's Open Era record.
A backward dive commemorated a forward march through a tough 81-minute test that featured only two service breaks.
When Williams rose from the turf she raised two fingers on both hands; the universal peace sign now a celebration symbol for holding a major piece of history.
"Definitely so excited to win Wimbledon," Williams told the media afterward. "You know, that's always a great feeling. But maybe even more so is the excitement of getting 22, you know, trying so hard to get there, finally being able to match history, which is pretty awesome."
For the first time in a decade the same two women faced off for a second Grand Slam final in the same season.
The fourth-seeded Kerber created precise cross-court combinations and a shrewd use of the drop shot stunning Williams, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in the Australian Open final to collect her first major title. Sweeping Venus Williams in the semifinals, Kerber was bidding to become the first woman to beat the Williams sisters back-to-back at Wimbledon.
"I think I played what I could today," Kerber said. "I can just say, I mean, Serena was serving unbelievable today. At the end I was trying everything, but she deserved it today. She really played an unbelievable match. I think we both play on a really high level. I try everything."
"I think I was not the one who lose the match, I think she won the match. Yeah, just one can win, and today Serena deserved it."
Preoccupied by her pursuit of history, Serena's nerves slowed her in her shocking US Open semifinal loss to Roberta Vinci, the Melbourne defeat and her straight-sets loss to Garbine Muguruza in the Roland Garros title match last month.
"It's been incredibly difficult not to think about (tying the record)," Williams said. "I had a couple of trials this year, lost to two great opponents, including Angelique. It makes the victory even sweeter being how hard I worked."
This time, Williams led with her heart and closed with conviction.
On a breezy, overcast day, the reigning champion cracked 13 aces, denied the only break point she faced with a 114 mph missile in the seventh game of the second set and concluded the tournament on a tear of 32 consecutive service holds.
The game's greatest server knew she had to bring the heat as Kerber, who led the tournament in service breaks, won 14 of 23 points played on the champion's second serve and tested her in corner-to-corner exchanges.
"It was really super competitive," Williams said. "I think the difference was I knew I needed to hold serve today because I really wasn't feeling her serve that well the way I had been earlier times we played before. The conditions were so windy. I felt okay I have to absolutely hold serve out here."
The fourth-seeded German swept all 12 sets she played en route to the final. Two lessons Williams learned from her Melbourne loss: Attack when stretching Kerber and expect the left-hander to play plenty of crosscour passes. Williams was much more proactive with her feet today winning 16 of 22 trips to net, including championship point.
"In the last game, I told myself, 'Okay Serena just stay calm and hit a bunch of aces,' " Williams said. "On match point I was thinking how appropriate it was to win it at net because I'm never at net."
The only sign of apprehension from the champion came before the final began. Williams made Kerber wait about five minutes in the hallway before emerging from the locker room for the ceremonial procession to Centre Court.
On serve, there were no indication of procrastination. Williams rolled through 12 of her first 15 service points, slamming a 120 mph ace to seal the opening game and closing the third game with another ace.
Surviving serious pressure in her opening service game, Kerber fought off three break points as she tried to find the right balance between aggressively attacking her second serve without over-hitting it. Kerber's second serve is her most suspect shot, but she jammed Williams with some hip-hugging body serves holding at 15 for 3-all.
The champion's explosiveness off both wings combined with Kerber's sharp counter-strikes on the run created crackling rallies in the seventh game. Williams prevailed in wild 21-shot rally, adjusting to a net-cord before banging a forehand volley. Celebrating with a furious fist pump, a fired-up Williams was dragged to deuce, but showed court savvy with a sharp-angled slice to hold for 4-3.
Aggressive court positioning and patient point construction put Kerber within a game of forcing a tie break.
Pressure induced a rash of rushed swings at the worst possible time. Serving at 5-6, the German played her sloppiest points of the set, dragging a forehand down the line wide then spraying her trusty two-hander to face double-set point. Kerber saved the first set point running down a poor drop shot that sat up.
On the second, Williams played lock-down tennis from the baseline then stepped in and pulverized a backhand crosscourt forcing a desperate flick into the net.
Persevering through a quality set that popped with some pulsating exchanges, Williams snatched the 47-minute opening set. She celebrated with a rush of fist pumps and locked eyes with her box, including pop star Beyonce and Jay Z, sitting behind Williams' mother Oracene.
Both women are at their best hugging the baseline and both embraced the challenge of running exchanges with decisive strikes.
Channeling deflation into defiance, Kerber was racing off the doubles alley when she wrapped a running backhand down the line nearly around the net post. That shot elicited a roar from the crowd and applause from her opponent helping Kerber to hold for 2-all.
A full stretch forehand volley from Williams had Kerber applauding right back in the fifth game.
Contesting her 28th career Grand Slam final, Williams' moment of truth came at 3-all when she confronted break point for the first time.
Snapping off a clean 114 mph ace, Williams erased it with an authoritative answer racking up her 31st straight hold for 4-3. Kerber, who had fought so hard to remain on level terms, missed a backhand to face break point. The left-hander slid one of her best serves of the set down the middle only to see Williams stab back a forehand return causing a wild backhand miss and the break for 5-3.
Fourteen years after dethroning sister Venus in a tight two-setter to win her first Wimbledon, a 34-year-old Serena raised the Rosewater Dish wearing a blissful smile of satisfaction of a woman whose come so far from her teenage years, but believes there is still so much more within.
"I was talking to Venus the other day about how we've been out here for so long and how we're still doing really well and we're still having so much fun," Serena said. "It's different. I feel like when you're younger you're obviously super excited and you get really nervous. And when you're older its like you kind of have to win and you get used to winning. Its like when you taste something that tastes so good you want it again and again and again. So it's a little addicting."