Australian Open: Serena Williams vanquishes Venus to smash Steffi Graf's record
2nd Set: Serena Williams 6-4 Venus Williams
And she has done it! Serena Williams has defeated her sister Venus to be crowned the Australian Open champion for the seventh time in her career.
Serena crouched to the ground in happiness, as her sister Venus hit her return wide of the court at the end of a tiresome rally, in which the former was on match-point.
This is Serena's 7th Australian Open and 23rd Grand Slam title. With this victory, she moves ahead of Steffi Graf, who had won 22 Grand Slams during her career. Serena is now second only to Margaret Court (24) in terms of the most number of Grand Slam titles won.
2nd Set: Serena Williams 5-4 Venus Williams
Venus holds her serve, but the inevitable is drawing near. Serena just needs to hold her serve now, to win her 23rd Grand Slam.
2nd Set: Serena Williams 4-3 Venus Williams
Heartbreak for Venus. Gave away that service game after saving two break points. Serena did well to pounce on her sister's second serve in the end.
2nd Set: Serena Williams 2-3 Venus Williams
The Williams sisters are treating the crowd in Melbourne with some delicious serves. The second set is a complete contrast to the first one.
2nd Set: Serena Williams 1-2 Venus Williams
Venus seemed to be down and out over there, when Serena went 0-40 up, with three break points in hand. However, Venus came back with five straight points to take the game, and keep the set on serve. Brilliant play by the two champions.
1st Set: Serena Williams 6-4 Venus Williams
Brilliant serving by Serena. She seems to have found her rhythm after struggling initially. Venus gave little away in the first set, but the brilliance of Serena was clear to see towards the end.
1st Set: Serena Williams 5-4 Venus Williams
Venus came up with some impressive serves, to hold her service game against her sister, who still holds the upper hand. Serena to serve for the set.
1st Set: Serena Williams 4-3 Venus Williams
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has found her way back into the match, as she breaks her sister to take the lead. While Serena still seems to be struggling with her serve, it will be interesting to see whether Venus can recover from this.
1st Set: Serena Williams 3-3 Venus Williams
Both the players have finally been able to hold their serve. While Venus is playing a water-tight game, Serena still seems to be fighting her demons. However, the latter did well to hold her serve this time.
1st Set: Serena Williams 2-2 Venus Williams
The service breaks continue. Serena seems to be struggling with her serve. It will be interesting to see whether it is a mental block, or whether it is the wind.
1st Set: Serena Williams 2-1 Venus Williams
Service breaks seem to be in fashion today. Neither of the players has held her serve as of yet. Serena has broken her sister twice, while Venus has broken just once.
Melbourne: The Williams sisters have rolled back the years with their performance in the 2017 edition of the Australian Open, evoking memories when both Serena and Venus dominated the world of women’s tennis.
The first time the two sisters had played at the Melbourne, it was still the 20th century, and Venus and Serena were two teenagers playing in a tour match, trying to make a name for themselves in the world of Tennis.
(Photo: Australian Open Twitter)
Since then, the Williams sisters have gone on to mesmerise the tennis world, winning a total of 29 times between themselves.
Other than the fact that she will be playing against her sister, Serena Williams will have the additional motivation of eclipsing the legendary Steffi Graf with regards to the number of women’s singles Grand Slam titles won. Williams is now level with Graf with 22 Slams.
Meanwhile, Venus, who has seven major titles to her name, will be looking to get one step closer to achieving a career grand slam. She is yet to win the Australian Open and the French Open.
Serena has been the more successful of the two sisters, not only with regards to the number of Slams won, but also with regards to the head-to-head record between the two sisters, who have faced each other 27 times so far in competitive tennis. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has won 16 of these ties, while Venus has won 11.
Serena’s head-to-head record against her sister in the Grand Slam finals is even more impressive – 6-2.
