Wimbledon 2018: Angelique Kerber stuns Serena Williams to end fairy tale return in women’s final
Williams’s quest to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam came up short as Kerber secured a convincing straight-sets victory to win her third Grand Slam title
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In the presence of the Duchesses of Sussex and Cambridge, Centre Court had expected to acclaim the woman who might best be regarded as Wimbledon royalty, but this was not to be Serena Williams’ day. The 36-year-old American had been the firm favourite to crown her remarkable comeback with her eighth All England Club singles title, but instead she was outplayed and outsmarted by Angelique Kerber.
Kerber, the first German to win the title since Steffi Graf in 1996, beat Williams 6-3, 6-3 in just 65 minutes to avenge her defeat by the former world No 1 in the final here two years ago. The 30-year-old German, who had beaten Williams in the 2016 Australian Open final to claim the first of her three Grand Slam titles, was the better player from start to finish.
Williams was seeking the one Grand Slam singles title she needs to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24, but this was an occasion when her lack of matches and conditioning caught up with her in the wake of her 14-month break from competition to have her first child.
The American has made a remarkable return to top-flight tennis since beginning her comeback in March, but this was only her fourth tournament back. Kerber was just the player to expose the American’s physical shortfalls.
One of the game’s finest athletes, Kerber kept making Williams hit the extra ball and never gave her the space or time to play her shots, but there were also plenty of occasions when the American failed to take opportunities to finish off points. Frequently struggling to get into the right position to hit her shots, she made 24 unforced errors to Kerber’s five.
Williams, who will leap from No 181 to No 28 in next week’s updated world rankings list, hit her fastest serve of the tournament at 125mph, but for the most part she failed to find a good rhythm on her serve, which is usually one of her greatest strengths.
Kerber, having long had a reputation as one of the game’s great defensive players, has added an extra attacking dimension to her play since teaming up with a new coach, Wim Fissette, at the end of last year. In climbing back up the world rankings in the last six months – she fell from No 1 to No 21 during the course of 2017 but will be back at No 4 next week – Kerber has shown a greater willingness to go for her shots, particularly on her forehand.
Kerber’s serve has sometimes been a weakness in the past, but she has served well throughout this tournament and Williams rarely got to grips with it. The German’s leftie serve to the advantage court is an obvious asset, but what surprised most on this occasion was the effectiveness of her second serves.
Because of the length of the second men’s semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Kerber and Williams did not get on court until after 4pm. On a warm and sunny afternoon the conditions could hardly have been bettered.
Williams had made a slow start in her quarter-final victory over Camila Giorgi and again struggled to find her rhythm. The difference on this occasion was that she never got going.
Kerber converted her first break point in the opening game, winning the sort of rally which soon become familiar, Williams missing a forehand after being pulled from side to side. Kerber went 2-0 up, but was pegged back to 2-2 after dropping her serve to love.
At 3-3 Williams was broken after going 0-40 down with two successive double faults and at 3-5 she dropped serve for the third time in the set, netting a backhand on Kerber’s first set point.
At the start of the second set Williams appeared to make a conscious effort to fire herself up, bellowing out several roars of “C’mon!” She remained in contention until Kerber broke to lead 4-2, striking a superb forehand winner down the line on break point.
Kerber went 30-0 up when she served for the match at 5-3, only for Williams to level at 30-30 with a fine drop shot and a crunching return of serve. Kerber, however, had remained a picture of calm throughout and refused to be thrown out of her stride.
Another forehand winner down the line took the German to match point, which she converted immediately when Williams netted a backhand return. Kerber fell to the ground in delight before picking herself up to share a long embrace with Williams.
On reflection, it was a remarkable achievement by Williams to make it to the final here. Court’s record remains intact for the moment, but it will be no surprise if Williams equals and ultimately beats it before too long.
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