Serena Williams withstood early and late surges from Garbine Muguruza to capture the women's title in straight sets at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships on Saturday. The 6-4, 6-4 triumph gives her 21 career Grand Slam singles titles, three behind Margaret Court for the most in history.
Williams now holds all four major titles at once—the Serena Slam—and earned a chance to go for the calendar Grand Slam at the U.S. Open. It's one of the few accomplishments she's yet to pull off in her illustrious career.
Muguruza came into the match with a rare amount of confidence for a 21-year-old player making her first appearance in a major final. Along with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory over the veteran American at the French Open last year, she also took her to three sets in Australia back in January.
Chris Lehourites of the Associated Press noted the rising Spanish star felt those results would put even more pressure on the top seed.
"She knows that I can win against her, that I'm not afraid," Muguruza said. "I don't think she's really used to this. Serena, she doesn't lose so many matches in the year."
Those comments appeared prophetic in the first game, as Williams struggled mightily to get first serves in, struck three double-faults and immediately got broken. Nick McCarvel of USA Today illustrated the contrast between that poor effort and how she's played throughout the event:
15 = number of Serena's DFs in SIX MATCHES. 3 = number of SW DFs in first game... so far #Wimbledon— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) July 11, 2015
She found herself in trouble once again during her second service game but fought back from a 0-30 hole to hold, and that really seemed to help her settle in.
The level of play, which was lackluster in the early going with plenty of disjointed rallies, started to rise as the set went on. Williams got the break back to equalize the set at 4-4 and then held to grab her first lead of the match.
Muguruza didn't respond well to the improved form of the top-ranked player in the world. She played several tight points and then tossed in her first double-fault at deuce, giving Williams a break opportunity. The American didn't let it slip away, hitting her 16th winner of the set to close it out.
While the underdog shined at times, she wasn't able to maintain the high quality that's necessary to keep pace with Williams, as Matt Cronin of Tennis Reporters pointed out:
Muguruza throws in a couple UE's, Serena jumps on top of her, grabs 1st set 6-4 with a booming FH cross court. GM plays spectacular or gone— Matt Cronin (@TennisReporters) July 11, 2015
ESPN Stats & Info highlighted the hurdle that dropping the first set added for Muguruza:
Serena takes the 1st set 6-4 vs Muguruza. Serena is 245-7 in Grand Slam matches when winning the 1st set— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 11, 2015
The early portion of the second set looked like a coronation for Williams, as she rather routinely raced out to a 5-1 lead. The weight of being one game from another Serena Slam seemingly had an impact on her, however, as she started missing shots and visible frustration began to mount.
Muguruza capitalized, battling hard to get back on serve at 5-4 with some sublime ball-striking. It's typical for a player to start hitting better when she's on the brink of losing—there's a certain freedom to it—but once she got back in the set, the mistakes returned.
Williams answered back with an anticlimactic break to win the match. Muguruza's missed shot was close to the line, and everybody in Centre Court awaited a challenge that never came, which subdued the initial celebration.
Wimbledon spotlighted the result:
HISTORY MADE. AGAIN. @serenawilliams is a six-time #Wimbledonchampion after beating Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 6-4pic.twitter.com/w1XZXCR6nP— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2015
Christopher Clarey of the New York Times showcased how good Williams has been in the marquee moments:
Most remarkable Serena statistic for me: 21-4 in Grand Slam singles finals— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) July 11, 2015
Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram discussed her place in all of sports:
Serena Slam. Now the 2015 Grand Slam is one title away from the greatest women's tennis player ever and the most dominant athlete right now— Clarence Hill (@clarencehilljr) July 11, 2015
Live Tennis provided post-match reaction from the now six-time Wimbledon champion:
'I can't believe I'm standing here with another Serena Slam.'pic.twitter.com/jvvBSWEaBm— Live Tennis (@livetennis) July 11, 2015
Now the focus for Williams obviously shifts toward New York. There will be warm-up events during the U.S. Open Series, but those results matter little compared to the final major of the season, where she's the three-time defending champion.
She doesn't need the calendar Grand Slam to complete her career. The resume she's put together already places her firmly in the conversation for the greatest player ever. But it would nevertheless be an extraordinary accomplishment.
Marc Berman of the New York Post provided a quote from Serena on the possibility of a calendar Grand Slam:
Serena on Grand Slam possibility: "I don't want to talk about. I've done well in NY but worst-case scenario I have another Serena Slam.''— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) July 11, 2015
Wimbledon still has one more treat to provide: a rematch between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the men's title on Sunday. Djokovic won a five-set thriller one year ago, and it wouldn't be a surprise if this year's clash lives up to the same standard.
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