Serena fell victim to a howling mob in the French Open semifinal last month and Venus exited early when she yielded to rust after taking off two weeks to rest her injury. That's been the only aberration from their dominance for more than a year in five of six Grand Slam finals -- all of them going to Serena.
So Venus played on in this one, even as the pain in her belly grew worse at the start of the second set. She fell behind 5-1, fought back to 5-4 but couldn't stop Serena from serving it out.
"It tugged at my heartstrings watching Venus out there," her mother, Oracene, said. "But she did what she could. I just feel sorry for her because she wanted it so bad."
After double-faulting twice in losing the first game of the third set, Venus called for the trainer. Sitting in the chair, looking as if she might cry and quit, she chose instead to go to the locker room and have the tape around her midsection rewound tighter.
"With that type of injury, and what's required of those muscles during a service motion, I think she was very courageous to go out there and play," WTA trainer Karen Davies said.
Venus never could mount a challenge in the final set, but she left an impression on her sister and the cheering, sympathetic crowd who saw honor in her defeat. There would be no celebratory dance by Serena after this match. Rather they simply hugged at the net and sat waiting for their trophies.
"I was just thinking," Serena said, "what class and what spirit and what fight and what championship quality Venus showed today and throughout the tournament."
It's a quality both sisters have shown in separating themselves from the rest of their rivals and moving into the class of the all-time greats.
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