Serena Williams went down swinging and grinding down under, but down she went. German left-hander Angelique Kerber swept in and beat Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to take the Australian Open crown, the first Grand Slam of the Year. It was a tense and exhilirating match. Despite Williams’ 46 unforced errors, she made Kerber hit some tremendous shots to win.
What a final girls @serenawilliams & @AngeliqueKerber Great sportsmanship! Well done to both. Congrats to Angelique for her 1st GS #AusOpen
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 30, 2016
Tennis fans at large had expected Williams, who has had a marvelous recent run, to take the Australian and set up the possibility of another calendar year Grand Slam. (Williams took that possibility into the last match of a major last year, succumbing to Roberta Vinci in the US Open Final.) Kerber overcame some long odds as well as Williams’ ferocity. Williams was 8-0 in her last eight Grand Slam Finals. Williams is now, with the loss, 21-5 overall in Grand Slam Finals. It was Kerber’s first Grand Slam. She made just 13 unforced errors in the match.
Angelique Kerber, pre-match:
