Serena Williams came through a rain delay and a coughing fit to show that, at 33, she still reigns supreme in women’s tennis.
The world No 1 claimed her second Grand Slam in succession and her nineteenth in all by beating Maria Sharapova 6-3 7-6 (5) in an interrupted and furiously competitive Australian Open final.
A wet and chilly night here was warmed by the feverish intensity between Williams and her nearest challenger, who could not break the American’s long running dominance over her.
Rain caused a delay at 3-2 in the first set that was added to by Williams having to receive medical attention for a coughing fit caused by the cold that has been plaguing her for most of the fortnight.
Her response was furious, coming back out and producing an astonishing display of power serving in hammering down eighteen aces, the fastest of which came at 127 mph.
After a 2014 when it looked like her powers might have been on the wane this extraordinary athlete again looks in a league of her own, because it was not Sharapova flinched from the fight.
Williams has now moved ahead of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert in the all time Grand Slam-winning title stakes, and is now only three off Steffi Graf. If she stays fit then you would not bet against her overhauling that.
This was a match that showcased the best of women’s tennis, with both players massively fired up and punctuating every game with fist pumps and animalistic cries of ‘Come on!’. But in the end Serena, though getting tight, showed that her power is still irresistible.
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