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Simona Halep wins at Wimbledon - and dismantles Serena Williams
Scene of the match: When Serena Williams started the second set with a point-loss free-play, she let her emotions run wild and yelled what she had. The subsequent service, she also won to zero and for a short time, it seemed as if she had turned the switch. She lost the match anyway.
Result: Simona Halep defeated Williams 6: 2, 6: 2. It was the eleventh duel of the two players, Halep won only for the second time against their ten-year-old opponent. Click here for the report.
Short process: The match started as miserably for the favored Williams as possible. As soon as her first two serve games she gave off as a result of numerous Unkonzentriertheiten in the beginning minutes. Halep led after eleven minutes already 4-0. For the first set, the 27-year-old did not even need half an hour, after 26 minutes was over. In the second set Williams started better, but then again took two breaks. After 55 minutes the match was over.
Margin of error: Williams showed blatant weaknesses in actually harmless strokes. She made the only double mistake of the match, albeit late in the second set. Previously, she repeatedly made simple mistakes that are actually atypical for her. Whether with the forehand from the run, with the backhand from the stand, or even with stop balls Haleps, the Williams easily achieved - again and again the ball landed in the net and sometimes even far out.
Tim Ireland / AP
Simona Halep was allowed to hold the bigger trophy after the final than Serena Williams
On the other hand, Halep played almost flawless, afterwards she said: "That was the best match I have ever played." In 92 ball changes the Romanian committed just three unforced errors. Halep played very defensive and disciplined, often playing neutral balls in Williams' half, rarely attempting to win the point with an attack blow. She sat on patience, pulled her game through and left the risk Williams, whose furious blows this time lacked the precision.
One-sided finals: The spectators in Wimbledon applauded well. It is quite possible that the public secretly wished for a more exciting finale at the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. But Halep played too resolute. For the seventh time in a row, the women's title match ended prematurely after two sets.
Home team: Halep is the first Romanian to win the singles competition in Wimbledon. None of the men has made it yet. A particularly curious detail: In Romania, there are no grass courts on which professionals play. On the planet's most famous turf, of all things, Halep won her second Grand Slam victory.
Williams' final curse: Before this game Williams had been 25 times in a Grand Slam final. From that she won 21 matches, a legendary value. There have been four defeats from the last six finals. Of these, three fall into the aftermath of her comeback from the 2017 pregnancy break. Prior to the match against Halep, she lost to Naomi Osaka at the US Open last year and to Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon. It was a presumably dispensable premiere: Williams had never lost three Grand Slam finals in a row before.
Eternal record? Margaret Court won the US Open for the fifth time 46 years ago. It was the 24th Grand Slam title of the Australian, the record is still standing today. Williams could have equaled with a win, which also did not work against Halep. The 37-year-old runs away from time, now her age is noted. The US-American is not as agile as she used to be. She runs through the court at intervals. The last three tries to set Courts record failed - the next one she gets at the US Open at the end of August.