Serena Williams Wins 11th Grand Slam Title

For the second consecutive Wimbledon final, the Williams sisters competed against each other. And this time, things were different. Younger sister Serena prevailed over older sister Venus in straight sets by the score of 7-6, 6-2. Venus had saved three match points earlier but on the fourth, she hit a backhand into a net, to ensure Serena the victory and her first Wimbledon title in six years. For Serena, this is her 3rd Wimbledon title, and 11th Grand Slam overall. Serena now holds the head-to-head series lead, 11-10.

With the win, Serena stopped Venus from winning her sixth Wimbledon title and from becoming the first woman since Steffi Graf to win three consecutive Wimbledon's.

Going into the finals of Wimbledon, both Venus and Serena looked to be in top form. Serena, ranked #2, had lost only 1 set, against Elena Dementieva in the semis, saved a match point, and prevailed 8-6 in the third set to set up the all-Williams showdown. Serena beat two top 10 players in the quarters and semis. Venus, ranked #3, did one better, not losing a single set, and destroyed top seed Dinara Safina (6-1, 6-0) in the semis. Venus beat former Grand Slam winner Ana Ivanovic and Agnieszaka Radwanska in the fourth round and quarterfinals, respectively.

Venus was the favorite going into the match, with Serena being a slight underdog. Going into the match, Venus had won 20 straight matches at the All England Club and picked up the trophy for two consecutive years, trying to make it a third. But Serena had all the answers on this day. She was a better player in the first set tiebreak, winning the important points, and dictated the pace in the second set.

This was not the first time the Williams sisters have played against each other in a Grand Slam final. The 2001 US Open was the first time they met each other in a final with Venus coming out triumphant. The Williams sisters would meet in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals (2002 French Open, 2002 Wimbledon, 2002 US Open, and 2003 Australian Open) with Serena winning all of them. Two Grand Slams later, the sisters met again in the 2003 Wimbledon, with Serena winning again. The last time the Williams' met was in the 2008 Wimbledon with Venus winning in straight sets. Serena had gotten the best out of her sister in Grand Slam finals, now holding a 6-2 lead.

Next for the Williams sisters is the US Open, set to take place from August 31 to September 13, 2009. Serena Williams is the defending champion at that event, and has won it a total of three times (1999, 2002, 2008). Venus has also won the US Open, a total of two times (2000, 2001).