Serena’s 23rd unforced error gave Kerber the first set, 6-4, marking the first time she took the opening set off Serena since 2012 and the first time that Serena lost the opening set in a Grand Slam final since the 2011 U.S. Open.
Advertisement
She was just too solid in the first set, drawing 23 unforced errors from the Williams racquet and breaking twice to take it, 6-4.
Angelique Kerber of Germany drinks champagne at a press conference following her win over Serena Williams of the United States in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia…
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.
Kerber says she has yet to contemplate being a Grand Slam champion, being No. 2 in the world, and having nearly an entire year ahead of her to challenge Williams for the No. 1 ranking.
Williams, 34, was beaten for just the fifth time in 26 Grand Slam finals, and the American missed the chance to tie Graf’s open-era record of 22 titles.
While her mistakes helped Kerber, the German also played some scintillating tennis off the baseline and Williams paid tribute to her never-say-die attitude in pressing so hard for her first ever Grand Slam title at the age of 28. “They were just unexpected because she hadn’t hit any until the third set”.
And with a great big smile on her face, Kerber followed Williams to the podium. “As much as I would like to be a robot, Im not”.
Graf sent her a text message before the final to wish her luck.
“I kind of relish every win and every final and every match now”.
That loss is still fresh in her memory, and she is taking nothing for granted against a player who won four tournaments previous year – and credits her new-found form to inspirational words from Graf, her fellow German. “That’s why I’m going out there to try to win the match”. “Every time I got a little ahead on the scoreboard she was constantly there”.
“These have been the best two weeks of my life”. “I’m really honoured to be in this final and to win it – my dream came true tonight”.
“The feeling I have I think it’s more proud, proud about my team, my family, my friends”, Kerber said.
She produced a superb performance, however, when it really mattered, ousting Williams to seal one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.
Watching Kerber methodically dismantle the best player in the world since her own compatriot, Steffi Graf, it was incomprehensible that Kerber might have fallen at the first hurdle to Doi, a player of towering anonymity, 11 days and six wins ago.
I really know and I have confidence when I play my dropshots. “They are always believing in me”, she said.
“Yeah, for sure, I would say this is probably the best slam I’ve played in a year, and I’ve won a lot in a year”.
Advertisement
“I think so. I mean, she’s had a great month”, she said. “That’s something that I’ll never forget”, said Williams. So that’s it. I definitely could have got them.
