She's done it. Serena Williams
is the 2015 Wimbledon champion. She's completed her second Serena Slam,
her sixth Wimbledon title, and her 21st Grand Slam championship. She's
become the oldest woman to win a title in the Open era.
Williams defeated Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. At next month's U.S. Open, she'll attempt to make more history, going for the first calendar-year Grand Slam since 1988. She'll be looking to tie Steffi Graf's record of 22 Grand Slam titles in the Open era.
Muguruza was playing in her first Grand Slam final. She more than proved that she belongs here, building a 4-2 lead in the first set before Williams truly took over.
Williams jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set and would serve for the win. One of the strongest servers the game has ever known, the win seemed inevitable.
But 21-year-old Muguruza wasn't quite done yet. She earned the break, held, then earned another break to bring the match to 5-4. Williams seemed to have finish-line jitters, something rarely seen in this champion but understandable with the amount of history on the line.
Just as quickly as the duel had emerged, it ended. Williams built a 0-40 lead on Muguruza's serve before Muguruza shanked a shot wide. No one quite heard the call. Had it been out? Had she won? It had. She had.
Even Williams seemed to take a moment before she believed it. She stayed subdued as she walked over to her chair, until raising her hands over her head and jumping up and down like a little girl.
"Garbine, she played so well. I didn't even know it was over because she was fighting so hard in the end. I was like, 'okay, do I have to serve again?" Williams said during the trophy ceremony. Then, looking to Muguruza, she added, "Don't be sad, you'll be holding this trophy very, very soon, believe me." Williams was Muguruza's age when she completed her first Serena Slam, more than 12 years ago.
"I can't believe I'm standing here with another Serena Slam, so it's really cool. You guys helped me get through it, I heard all you guys. I heard all the 'I love yous.' I love you more. Thank you so much," she said to the crowd.
"I'm having so much fun out here, I just never dreamt I would be out here still and let alone winning and having so much fun, so every day is a pleasure and a joy for me to be out here playing and winning Wimbledon, oh my gosh."
The final test of the year comes
at Williams' favorite tournament, in front of the American crowd, where
she is currently tied with Chris Evert for most tournament titles.
Should she win her seventh U.S. Open trophy, Williams will hold more
U.S. Open titles than any other player.
But first, she'll have to win seven more matches, something no one has done in a single year since 1988.
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