Quietly amazed I woke up in time to watch the fifth set that was still going on. Decided to save my exhaustion for the finals.
All the customary tension when these two play, dipping into some high quality stuff in the middle from Venus and later in the set from Serena.
If I'm honest, I thought this would be all one-way traffic as far as Serena is concerned. Venus just keeps hanging in there and you've got to admire it. I do it all the time though, I should've learned by now not to underestimate Venus whatsoever.
This second set is shaping up to be a barnstormer if this level stays up. Hopefully Venus can reign in this errors a tad.
Congratulations to Serena - a history making win and thoroughly deserved. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Venus but in typical fashion, she fought to the end and although it was straight sets, there wasn't too much between them. The Venus forehand was off early and I think she lost a bit of confidence in it as the match progressed, and Serena's power and depth when returning serve was the difference. Nothing but respect for both women. When the tournament started I wanted Bencic to win. She drew Serena in the first round... Had no chance!
"And Serena, your 23rd just one shy of Margaret Court..." You could see "FOR NOW" written across her face so plainly.
Venus has lost 1/3 of Serena's 23, and that's just a little heartbreaking. Can't help but ask "what if?" a little when it's framed like that.
At the risk of sounding sappy, Venus and Serena just seem to have the most beautiful relationship and friendship. Serena told her at the net, "You mean the world to me", and Venus just said the same thing in her speech. They've been so amazing not only for women's tennis, but tennis in general.
That was a superb game from Federer. He needs to keep being aggressive, come to the net and dictate terms.
Honestly a little baffling that Federer hasn't attempted the serve volley a little more. Nadal is camped at the back of the court, it's going to be difficult to hit winners against a human wall. Come up to the net, finish off the points.