Kerber tops Serena at Wimbledon
LONDON (AP): ANGELIQUE KERBER was not about to be overwhelmed by the setting or the stakes in this Wimbledon final. She knew exactly what to expect – and what to do – against Serena Williams.
Two years after losing to Williams with a title on the line at Centre Court, Kerber came through. So steady, so patient, so accurate throughout, she never really gave Williams much of a chance this time, putting together a 6-3, 6-3 victory for her first championship at the All England Club and third major overall.
“I think it’s the experience. You have to go through all the things – the good things, the bad things – and then you need to learn,” said Kerber, the first German to win Wimbledon since Steffi Graf in 1996.
“I know that against Serena, I have to play my best tennis, especially in the important moments,” said Kerber, who won the Australian Open and US Open in 2016, but was the runner-up to Williams at Wimbledon that season, “especially in the important moments.”
That’s just what she did. “Angelique played really well,” Williams said. “She played out of her mind.”
UNFORCED ERRORS
Kerber made only five unforced errors the entire match, 19 fewer than Williams. Perhaps more impressive was this: She broke Williams in four of nine service games.
In doing so, Kerber prevented Williams from claiming an eighth title at Wimbledon and 24th from all Grand Slam tournaments , which would have equalled Margaret Court’s record. As things stand, Williams holds the mark for the half-century of professional tennis, one ahead of Kerber’s idol, Graf.
The final started more than two hours late, because they had to wait for the end of Novak Djokovic’s five-set victory over Rafael Nadal in a men’s semifinal that was suspended the night before. Today Djokovic will play Kevin Anderson, who won his semifinal against John Isner 26-24 in the fifth set Friday night.