Kerber thwarts Serena’s bid for Wimbledon title
WIMBLEDON, England — Serena Williams found an abrupt off ramp Saturday on her long road back to relevance as she suffered a rare Wimbledon defeat.
Angelique Kerber made short work of the 23-time Grand Slam champion, beating her 6-3, 6-3 in a brisk 1 hour, 5 minutes.
“She played unbelievably today,” said Williams, in her fourth tournament back from giving birth.
Kerber, the first German woman to win Wimbledon since Steffi Graf in 1996, has won every major except the French Open and made good on what she was unable to do two years ago: defeat Williams in a final on these hallowed grounds.
“I was quite nervous before the match,” said Kerber, 30. “But I told myself, ‘Go out there and play your best match, because I know that against Serena I have to play my best tennis, especially in the important moments.’ ”
She essentially played a pristine match, with just five unforced errors to Williams’ 24.
“I feel like I have a ways to go,” said Williams, 36. “This is literally just the beginning.”
Williams was both the actual and sentimental favorite, and even Kerber seemed to be a superfan, effusive in her praise.
“Serena for me is a champion,” Kerber said. “She is one of the best players in the world. To share with her a court, it’s always an honor for me because I know she’s pushing me to the limits I have to play my best tennis.”
Men’s semifinals: Novak Djokovic survived an exhausting marathon to beat Rafael Nadal in a five-set semifinal that would leave even the fittest players rubberlegged. In a match that started Friday night but was called for curfew, Djokovic prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 3-6, 10-8.
In the final the three-time Wimbledon champion will face Kevin Anderson, whose record-breaking 61⁄ 2- hour semifinal slog suddenly doesn’t look so crippling.
Anderson is looking win his first Grand Slam title. Djokovic is trying to reestablish himself as the best player in the game.