Angelique Kerber had the support of the crowd at Rod Laver Arena Saturday night. After just over two hours on court, she also had the Australian Open title.
Kerber defeated No. 1 Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. It is the her first Grand Slam title, and the first for a German player in this century.
Kerber, who at 28 and in her 14th year on tour was playing in her first Grand Slam final, opened the match by breaking the 21-time champion's serve, then held to put Williams in a 2-0 hole. She left too many shots suspended in Kerber's reach, and Kerber placed winners just inside the lines.
Williams showed vintage form in the second, playing the aggressive style that had helped her advance this far without dropping a set in the fortnight. The match went to a deciding third.
The crowd went wild as Kerber broke Williams in the first game of the set. There was far less applause when Williams broke right back.
The deciding game came with Kerber leading 3-2 in the third. The first-time finalist built a 40-love advantage on Williams's serve. Williams fought all the way back to deuce. She took the advantage in a 19-point rally. It went back to deuce five times.
The entire stadium now seemed to be in Kerber's corner. Still, when Williams double-faulted to give Kerber another advantage, there was silence more than celebration. Perhaps it was confusion. Williams double-faulted three times in the set. That point was one of the most important in the match. Kerber took the 4-2 lead on the next point. She held to 5-2.
Kerber defeated No. 1 Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. It is the her first Grand Slam title, and the first for a German player in this century.
Kerber, who at 28 and in her 14th year on tour was playing in her first Grand Slam final, opened the match by breaking the 21-time champion's serve, then held to put Williams in a 2-0 hole. She left too many shots suspended in Kerber's reach, and Kerber placed winners just inside the lines.
Williams showed vintage form in the second, playing the aggressive style that had helped her advance this far without dropping a set in the fortnight. The match went to a deciding third.
The crowd went wild as Kerber broke Williams in the first game of the set. There was far less applause when Williams broke right back.
The deciding game came with Kerber leading 3-2 in the third. The first-time finalist built a 40-love advantage on Williams's serve. Williams fought all the way back to deuce. She took the advantage in a 19-point rally. It went back to deuce five times.
The entire stadium now seemed to be in Kerber's corner. Still, when Williams double-faulted to give Kerber another advantage, there was silence more than celebration. Perhaps it was confusion. Williams double-faulted three times in the set. That point was one of the most important in the match. Kerber took the 4-2 lead on the next point. She held to 5-2.
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