The top seed now holds all four major titles in the women’s singles and improves to 21-4 in Grand Slam finals and 29-2 in all her previous tour-level finals after beating the Spaniard in the final of Wimbledon 2015.
After a uncharacteristic slow start, which saw the top seed drop serve in the opening game, the American needed 46 minutes to close out a 1-set-to-love lead but dropped three championship points to the never-say-die Muguruza, only to break back to love, 6-4 6-4, for her 21st Grand Slam title.
Serena Williams Beats Garbine Muguruza to Clinch Her Sixth Wimbledon Title. Image: AELTC.
She thus becomes the oldest female winner of a Grand Slam in the Open Era at age 33 by lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish for a sixth time in her career.
“Garbiñe played so well,” Williams told the BBC Sport. “I didn’t even know it was over – she was fighting so hard at the end. Congratultions – don’t be sad, you’ll be holding this trophy very, very soon, believe me!
“I can’t believe I’m standing here with another Serena Slam. It’s really cool. And the crowd helped me through it – I heard all the ‘I love yous’ and I love you more! It’s such an honor. It feels so good.”
Williams has yet to lose a game in 2015 when taking the opening set, though that statistic came under early threat against world No. 21, Muguruza, who broke and held for a 2-love lead and then saved two break points to move 4-2 clear.
Serena’s pressure finally paid off in the eighth game, when she broke back and reeled off further two more games to claim the opening set 6-4.
After a hold of serves in the first two games of the second set by both players, Serena was quick to take early initiative reading the Muguruza serve and breaking for a 3-1 lead when her relatively inexperienced competitor cuffed the tennis ball long.
And with the unforced errors piling up for the 20th seed, Serena held to love with her eighth and ninth aces of the match in the fifth game before claiming a third break point- 11 total- on the trot to serve for the match, when Muguruza fired another long backhand.
Serving for a 21st Grand Slam crown however turned a little bit dramatic for the world No. 1, with Muguruza, first breaking-back to love and then holding for a 3-5 deficit to present the American with a second chance to serve out for the title, which she fluffed as the 21-year-old prevailed in a 14-stroke deuce-game rally to send the crowd at Centre Court into rapturous applause and standing ovation.
But having come this far, Serena was never going to blow it out. Serving to stay in the contest, Muguruza was eventually broken to love to allow a record second ‘Serena Slam’ prevail.
“I’m very happy and proud to be playing in front of this amazing crowd,” Muguruza, who was competing I her first major final, said. “I love to play on big courts, and a Grand Slam final is just a dream come true for me.
“But I also want to say congratulations to Serena. She’s showing us she’s still World No.1.”
A possible win for Williams at the U.S. Open later this year will see her complete a calendar slam.
Serena Slam 1 was the 2002 French Open, 2002 Wimbledon, 2002 US Open and 2003 Australian Open, and Serena Slam 2 is the 2014 US Open, 2015 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2015 Wimbledon.
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