Serena secures fourth Wimbledon triumph
Serena Williams etched her family’s name on the Venus Rosewater Dish for the ninth time in 11 years with a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory over surprise Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva this afternoon.
The 28-year-old is now only one behind sister Venus after clinching her fourth title at the All England Club in a performance of supreme power and athleticism lasting one hour and three minutes.
Zvonareva, playing in her first grand slam final, began well but Williams simply got better and better and reeled off nine of the last 11 games for a 13th major singles crown.
Zvonareva had lost the opening set in her last two matches before coming back to win but repeating that against Williams was an almighty task, and it got worse for the Russian right at the start of the second set when she was broken again.
The 21st seed’s frustration was obvious as she slapped a forehand into the net, but the barrage of power coming at her really was a sight to behold.
Zvonareva ended Williams’ winning streak at five games but the world number one was simply getting better and better, forcing her opponent into more and more errors as she sought a foothold in the match.
The former Australian Open semi-finalist was in trouble again in the fifth game and, although she saved two break points, another swiftly followed and was met with a double fault.
Zvonareva held serve for only the second time in the set to make Williams serve out the match, and she completed that task with the same confidence she had shown throughout the tournament, winning the game to love with a smash for a 6-3 6-2 triumph.
The world number one threw her racquet in the air in celebration, earning a standing ovation from the crowd, who were witnessing a 13th grand slam title for the best player of her generation.
