Serena tops Venus in Wimbledon final

Saturday, November 21, 2009 7:12 PM

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Sunday, July 05, 2009

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Serena Williams fell to her knees on the grass, eyes closed, arms raised, and threw back her head.

WIMBLEDON, England - American Serena Williams falls to the ground in celebration after defeating sister Venus to win the Women's singles final at Wimbledon yesterday. Serena won, 7-6 (3), 6-2. (Photo: AP)

After six years, it was her turn to hold up the Venus Rosewater Dish again.

In the fourth all-Williams final at Wimbledon, Serena beat her sister Venus, 7-6 (3), 6-2, yesterday for her third title and 11th Grand Slam championship.

"It feels so amazing," Serena said. "I'm so blessed. I feel like I shouldn't be holding the trophy. I can't believe I'm holding it. It's named for Venus and she always wins."

Serena came out on top by out-serving her big sister, lifting her game in the tie-breaker and dictating play throughout the second set, finally winning when five-time champion Venus slapped a backhand into the net on the fourth match point.

Serena beat Venus in the 2002 and '03 finals, before Venus prevailed in last year's championship match. Venus was trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row.

Still, the Williams sisters proved their dominance at the All England Club once more, winning their eighth singles title this decade. As always with Williams vs Williams matches, the celebrations were relatively muted. The sisters embraced at the net, with the 29-year-old Venus patting 27-year-old Serena on the back.

"I didn't think about Venus at all today," Serena said. "I just saw her as an opponent. At one point, after the first set, I looked on the side of the court at the stats, and it was like 'Williams, Williams.' I couldn't figure out which was which."

The sisters were due back on Centre Court later for the women's doubles final, where they will face Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs of Australia. They're seeking their fourth Wimbledon doubles title and 10th Grand Slam crown.

Venus had come into the final as the favourite after playing some of the best grass-court tennis of her career. She hadn't dropped a set in 17 straight matches at Wimbledon, but couldn't cope on this day with the fierce competitive drive and relentless power game of her sister.

"This is one of the few times I didn't expect to come out with the win today," Serena said. "I felt like I had nothing to lose... When I won that first set, I was like, 'Wow, this is great. No matter what, I'm a set away.' So I was just trying to relax."

The statistics summed up Serena's superiority: She had 12 aces, 25 winners and 12 unforced errors, compared to two aces, 14 winners and 18 unforced mistakes for Venus.

"She played great, especially in the tie-break," Venus said. "I would just play a good shot and she'd just hit a winner off of it or put me in a position where she could hit another winner. I played a good tie-break, but she played a great one."

Serena now has an 11-10 edge overall and 6-2 in Grand Slam finals against her sister. Once again, Serena's superiority in the big matches came through. She currently holds three of the major titles - the US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon - and is one Slam win away from tying Billie Jean King at sixth among all-time leaders with 12.

The men's final is today, with Roger Federer seeking his record 15th Grand Slam title in a matchup with two-time runner-up Andy Roddick.

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