Angelique Kerber has beaten world number one Serena Williams in three sets (6-4, 3-6, 6-4) to win her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
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The 34-year-old is facing Angelique Kerber at the finals of the Australian Open, and Serena Williams is the favorite to come out on top as she won the last three out of four Grand Slams last year.
Forced to save a match point against Misaki Doi in the opening round, Kerber also came back from 2-5 down in the second set to beat twice-former champion Victoria Azarenka in straight sets in the quarter-finals.
Williams continued to struggle to make shots, racking up an uncharacteristic 11 unforced errors through six games, though she did manage to level proceedings at 3-3 after Kerber dropped serve.
Apart from ending Germany’s 17-year major title drought since Graf’s 1999 Wimbledon triumph, Kerber will climb to a career-high No. 2 in the rankings on Monday and also bank a cheque for $3.85 million. She is now the first woman to win a Grand Slam title after being in that situation.
But it was Kerber who grabbed a decisive break in the third set as she reeled off a brilliant passing shot on her way to a 2-0 lead.
“It’s interesting. I mean, every time I walk in this room, everyone expects me to win every single match, every single day of my life”, she said at her post-match press conference.
Many times Williams has stumbled into a third set before motoring to victory but Kerber halted her opponent’s momentum immediately with a hold and early break.
Williams had been bidding for her seventh Australian Open title and 22nd overall, which would have moved her into a tie with Kerber’s childhood idol Steffi Graf for the record in the Open era.
Kerber is only the fourth player to conquer Williams in a grand slam final, joining the American’s older sister Venus, Russian Maria Sharapova and Australian Samantha Stosur.
It appeared as though the chance might have gone when the nerves took hold and she was broken while serving for the match, but she launched into the Williams serve once again and clinched the title when Williams sent a volley long.
Williams herself could only smile as she warmly hugged and congratulated the victor, knowing full well that she had simply been outplayed by one of the finest performances in a Grand Slam final for years.
“Angie, congratulations. You really deserved it. Let me be the first to congratulate you”. This left Williams to lament the concession of her first set in this year’s championships. “It was just like more the feeling in this moment”.
“I was actually really happy for her. She’s been around a really long time”. Williams evened things at 3-all but watched as she made error after error, giving Kerber the break back. “I have been, like, alone a lot”, she said.
Williams admitted previously she became nervous and was stalled for a while trying to get to 18 major titles, to equal Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s career marks in second spot in the Open era.
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Angelique Kerber stunned the world no. 1 player to win in Melbourne. “You played the best in this tournament and you truly deserve it”.
