In a stunning development at Wimbledon, Simona Halep demolished Serena Williams and took the title at the world’s most prestigious tournament.
In less than an hour, the Romanian player, and the current No.7 in the world showcased the example of perfect tennis, inflicting Serena one of the most painful defeats in her life.
After just 56 minutes of play at the Central Court, Halep swept the 37-year old with 6-2, 6-2. The Romanian stated that this match was the best in her career so far.
“It was the best match,” Halep told Sue Baker, overwhelmed with emotions. “I have worked a lot for this moment. It’s an honor to play in front of the Royal Box. I don’t have the words to explain.”
She imposed her own tempo right from the beginning, not allowing Serena to gain confidence. Shortly after the start, the American was trailing 4-0, which made her extremely nervous. The 23-time Grand Slam champion didn’t expect such a strong start of her rival, which she admitted after the match.
“It was a little bit deer in the headlights for me.”
Williams was stunned, and she managed to show just a small piece of her game in the late part of the first set. In the sixth game, Serena had a breakpoint chance but failed to convert it. After that, it was a piece a cake for Halep to clinch that part of the game in her favor.
The US player was much better at the start of the second set. But it only lasted until the fifth game, when Halep broke her serve. The new champion ended the clash with another breakpoint, her fourth today. To make it even more impressive, her conversion was fantastic, 4 of 5.
“It’s something special, and I’ll never forget this day,” the 27-year old born in Constanta began her speech. ” It’s my mum’s dream. When I was 10, 12 years old, she said I had to play the final of Wimbledon.”
This is the second Grand Slam title for Halep, who also has the Roland Garros trophy from last year. According to her own words, that success helped a lot, by taking off the pressure and making her more relaxed in situations like todays.
And she really did look convincing. On the opposite part of the court was one of the best players in the history of this sport, but that didn’t make her uncomfortable. Neither did the head-to-head record which was 9-1 in favor of the rival.
Meanwhile, Serena’s third straight attempt to reach Margaret Court and her 24 Grand Slam title failed. In the span of 12 months, Williams lost last year at this court against Angelique Kerber, then against Naomi Osaka at the US Open, and now here again. The US player stressed out the high level of Halep’s game, against which she didn’t have a propper answer.
“She literally played out of her mind,” told Serena. “Whenever a player plays like that you just have to take your hat off. I love coming out here, playing in front of you guys. It’s literally a joy.”
"She literally played outta her mind."
Serena Williams congratulates Simona Halep on her Wimbledon win 👏 pic.twitter.com/aqSSm4Dnws
— espnW (@espnW) July 13, 2019
Four games won in this clash are the fewest for the American in any of the Grand Slam finals she played.
Up next, we have men’s finals scheduled for tomorrow. Novak Djokovic will try to defend his title against Roger Federer, who is the ultimate ruler here at Wimbledon with 8 trophies. Meanwhile, Djokovic has twice as less, but his performances here are looking very convincing.
The match starts at 9 am ET.
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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