ANGELIQUE Kerber of Deutschland caused the finals’ upset of defending champion Serena Williams in the Women’s Finals, 6/4; 3/6; 6/4 to lift the Daphne Memorial Cup after a battle that lasted two hours and eight minutes. It was a victory that evoked recollections of the past. Kerber became the second seventh-seeded player to win the title, as did Serena in 2005.
Kerber won the toss and opted to receive. It seemed at first to be a wrong decision as Serena won the opening game without dropping a point. She fell behind 0-30 in the second game but recovered to hold. Then she broke Williams in the third game with three angled double-fisted backhands and held to lead 3-1.
In the fourth game, Serena saved two break points to win her game and broke Kerber to take the sixth game. In the seventh game, Serena hit a backhand drive volley out for a break to Kerber. Then she missed a forehand shot into an open curt to give her opponent a 5-3 lead. Serena reduced the tally but Kerber held serve to win the set 6-4. She had committed only three unforced errors to Serena’s incredible 23.
The defending champion took her first service game in the second and broke Kerber to lead 4-1. She retained her lead to win the second set 6 games to 3. Coming into this year’s Australian Open, Serena had won all the eight titles in which she was forced to a third set in the Final Game of a Grand-slam tournament
In the third set, Kerber struggled but held the first game. Next she broke Serena’s serve to lead two games to love. Williams broke back and leveled tally two games apiece. In tennis competitions, the odd games are considered crucial. The fifth game lasted 11 minutes, replete with aces, passing shot winners and classic drop shots. Fatefully, a net cord shot ricocheted into the arm of net rushing Serena and her opponent took the lead.
Serving to level, Serena had to battle through a long game but she hit two double faults to hand her opponent a break for a commanding 4-2 lead. Kerber took her serve quickly to go up 5-2. A defiant Serena also took her service game in the eighth to reduce the tally 5/3. Serving for the match, Kerber fought off Serena’s determination in a long game that ended in the break of serve. Serena had the opportunity to hold serve and stay in the match. The game lasted over 10 minutes. At match point, when Serena’s volley shot sailed out, the German lady fell flat on her back to celebrate her unexpected win. German flags were waved in various sections the arena in jubilation over her victory.
It was a match in which all the statistics were positive on the side of the victor. Serena’s usual overpowering serve deserted her. Her forehand also failed her. She did not have the rhythm to be consistent or the fluidity to hit targets. She did not attain her usual high service pace as she averaged a mere 172 kph on her first serves on which she had a low 53 per cent success. Added to her woes was the fact that she won only 69 percent of points on her successful first serves. This was to the credit if the hard-fighting German lady.
It was to Angelique’s credit that she played a conservative game, keeping the ball in play and committing only 13 unforced errors to Serena’s whopping 46. Although she served only 5 aces to Serena’s unusually low 7, the new champion made a higher percentage for delivery of first serves and the points won on such occasions. She also won more points on service returns; consequent upon the failure of the Serena serve. At the end tally, Serena hit 47 winners to the victor’s 25.
After winning her first Grand-slam Title at the US Open in 1999, Serena Williams had lost only five finals of a Grand-slam tournament. Kerber lost in the first round of the 2015 Australian Open and was one point away from losing to Japanese Misaki Doi this year. Since turning professional in 2003, the 28-year old Kerber reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2014 and 2014 and was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon 2012. In defeating Serena Williams, she denied the American matching the record of 22 Grand slam titles held by fellow German, Steffi Graff.
It was a celebration for the Murray family, as Jamie partnered Bruno Soares of Brazil to defeat Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek and partner John Nestor of Canada, 2/6; 6/4; 7/5 to win the Men’s Doubles Title. Andy Murray was in the stands to watch his brother who wished him success in the Men’s finals against Novak Djokovic today.
