Serena Williams Defeats Sister Venus, Sets Record 23rd Grand Slam Win

The victory at Rod Laver Arena also ensured Serena Williams will regain the top ranking, which she lost in September after 186 straight weeks when Angelique Kerber won the U.S. Open.

For 13th seed Venus, her first grand slam final in eight years is already a stunning victory of perseverance in the face of her struggles to manage Sjogren’s syndrome, an auto-immune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain. Even before the ball finally dropped, Serena fell to the ground in celebration, then shared a long hug with her sister.

“It’s the one time that I really genuinely feel like no matter what happens, I can’t lose, she can’t lose”.

If Serena Williams wanted to enter tennis immortality, she’d have to go through her sister.

Williams is into her first final in Melbourne since 2003, when she also fell to Serena. But the younger Williams has not been infallible in major finals of late. “She’s an awesome person”.

Venus expressed in an interview that getting to the finals “means so much” and is “more than I dreamed of”.

“To see her do so well it’s great so I look forward to it”. On match point, a series of powerful forehands sent Venus back-peddling and forced an error, handing the point and the title to Serena. Venus hold serve after being 40-0 down to win back-to-back 5 serves and win the game.

There were six service breaks in all.

She, however, earned the pivotal break of the first at 3-3 and broke again in the same game of the second. However, there is still another record for Serena to chase. “That’s my little sister, guys”, to enormous applause.

“I really elevated my game somehow”, Serena told ESPN. “I’m enormously proud of you”. I’ve been there with you, some of them I lost right there against you. Now I just feel like I’m satisfied with where I am, although I always want to win. And all the times I wouldn’t be there, couldn’t be there or didn’t get there, you were there.

Serena is making history, but Venus is setting her own marks these days, too.

Venus Williams has reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the 21st time and will play CoCo Vandeweghe for a spot in the Australian Open final. “To play an unbelievable player, future Hall of Famer, Venus, to be on the court with her but to do it at this stage of a grand slam is kind of insane”. The motivation she gives me, it’s really second to nothing. She knows how to take it to that next level. Serena has now won 23 of 29 major singles.