Wimbledon 2016: Serena Williams' quest for 22nd Grand Slam title complete

Ray Slover

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Wimbledon 2016: Serena Williams' quest for 22nd Grand Slam title complete image

Long live the queen: Once and again, Serena Williams is the best player in women's tennis, crowned by her powerful performance in winning at Wimbledon.

Williams got her 22nd Grand Slam tournament victory on Saturday and a measure of revenge on Angelique Kerber. In classic Serena style, Williams powered her way to a 7-5, 6-3 victory.

MORE: Wimbledon images | Men's finalists: Milos Raonic | Andy Murray


Serena Williams (Getty Images)

Sunday brings the men's final, which should equal the intensity and power of the women's title match. Canada's Milos Raonic plays for his first major championship. His opponent: the hero of Britain and 2013 champ, Andy Murray.

"Congrats to Serena. You really deserved this," Kerber said. "It is always an honor for me to play you in the final."


Angelique Kerber (Getty Images)

Power. Williams' strength and serve were too much for Kerber to counter. How about 13 aces? How about winning 38 of 43 points in which she put her first serve in play?

Aggression. Kerber focused on a counterattack, but Williams more than tripled the number of winners hit in the match, 39-12. Adept at playing on grass, Williams was a lioness on the prowl.

Resolve. Williams went toe-to-toe with Kerber in the first set and finally got a break of serve to win. In the second set, Williams again got the break of serve she needed. A solitary break in each set therefore proved enough for Williams in a high-quality encounter.

Determination: Denied in the U.S. Open and in the finals at Melbourne and again at the French Open, Williams refused to let a third opportunity to match Graf's total elude her grasp. "It was difficult not to think about," she said. "Knowing how hard I worked, it makes the victory sweeter."

In addition to being her 22nd Grand Slam title, Saturday provided Williams a seventh Wimbledon win. At age 34. In her best championship performance in some time.

A superb serving performance gave Williams the winning edge. While Kerber was able to hold her own in baseline rallies on a windy Centre Court, she earned one break point — clinically saved with an ace — as Williams won points behind her most potent weapon.

There were flashes of brilliance from both players, but Kerber came up with another unforced error to fall 5-3 down before Williams raced through what proved the final game in ruthless fashion.

Contributing: OmniSport

Ray Slover