Venus Williams mounted one last comeback, capping her career revival by winning another Wimbledon title.
Williams overcame an early deficit and a championship point Saturday to beat top-ranked Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6 (4), 9-7 for her fifth major title and her first in nearly four years.
"I just spent so much time behind," Williams said. "The only time I think I was in front was when I won the match."
PHOTO: EPA
When Davenport hit a forehand into the net on the last point, Williams raised both fists and grinned. After the players hugged, Williams hopped, sank to her knees and patted the grass. Then she rose and hopped some more, laughing all the while.
"I could have jumped for a lot longer," Williams said with a laugh two hours after her victory. "I was just so excited. I can't help myself when I get excited. I show it all."
In the postmatch ceremony, Williams was presented with the championship trophy that coincidentally bears her first name -- the Venus Rosewater Dish. She also won Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001, and was runner-up to sister Serena in 2002 and 2003.
PHOTO: EPA
The men's final is a rematch of last year, when Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick to win his second straight title. Roddick completed a two-day semifinal suspended overnight because of rain, beating Thomas Johansson 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (10), 7-6 (5) on Saturday.
Williams versus Davenport climaxed with the longest third set in a Wimbledon women's final since Louise Brough beat Margaret Osborne duPont 10-8, 1-6, 10-8 in 1949, and it was full of suspense.
Davenport's back tightened and bothered her for several games midway through the set, and she required treatment from a trainer when ahead 4-3. She reached championship point leading 5-4 and receiving serve, but Williams kept the match alive with a backhand winner, then hit another to win the game for 5-all.
Both players held to 7-all. One rally lasted 25 strokes, by far the longest of the match, with both players running side to side and slugging shots into the corners.
Williams earned three break points in the next game and converted the third, hitting a forehand winner to close a 14-shot rally.
She won the first three points of the next game to reach championship point. After belting a backhand winner for 40-love, she pumped both fists and gritted her teeth, then finished the job two points later.
"Every time the chips were down for Venus, she played unbelievable," said Davenport, who said the sore back wasn't a factor in her defeat. "I thought I played really well and I thought I had a lot of chances, and I feel like she never let me take advantage of those chances."
With Williams' victory, six women have won the past six major titles. She snapped a streak of losses in her past five Grand Slam finals, all against her sister.
Williams had lost five Grand Slam finals in a row, all to her sister. With her victory, six women have won the past six major titles.
At No. 14, she became the lowest-seeded women's champion, surpassing 2004 champion Maria Sharapova, who was seeded 13th. Williams beat Sharapova in the semifinals.
Davenport, who was mulling retirement at this time last year, has staged a career comeback of her own, and was seeking her first major title since 2000. Instead she's a two-time Grand Slam runner-up this year -- she lost the Australian Open final in January to Serena Williams.
Controversy flared briefly in the second set. Williams was serving at 4-4, 15-0 when her serve was ruled an ace, even though TV replays showed the ball clearly out. The mild-mannered Davenport pleaded in vain for chair umpire Gerry Armstrong to overrule the call.
"If I did my job that poorly, I wouldn't be able to be out here," she told Armstrong. "I don't understand why you're sitting here. It's not even close. You don't have the guts to overrule?"
Asked later about the dispute, Davenport smiled and said, "Gosh, I wish I could remember more of the second set."
Williams went on to win the game at love for 5-4, then earned a set point in the next game. Davenport saved it with a service winner, then won the next two points as well for 5-all.
Davenport regrouped and broke in the next game when Williams slipped and fell on her backside chasing a shot on the worn turf behind the baseline. From a prone position, Williams got her racket on Davenport's final shot but pulled the ball well wide.
Down but not out, Williams rallied, breaking at love when Davenport served for the match. Williams then hit six winners in the tiebreaker to even the match.
She won despite 10 double-faults and some shaky early play, and hit 49 winners to 30 for Davenport, who converted only four of 12 break-point chances.
Williams received ?600,000 (US$1,062,000). Davenport settled for ?300,000 (US$531,000).
Badminton world No. 3 Anders Antonsen clinched his first Indonesia Open title yesterday after beating Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen, while South Korea’s An Se-young won her second championship in Jakarta. The 28-year-old Dane sank world No. 7 Chou at the Indonesian capital’s Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event. Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second. In a more closely fought women’s singles final, South Korean ace and world No. 1 An fought back from one game down to beat China’s
Spain starlets Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams dazzled on Thursday as La Roja beat France 5-4 in a thriller in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a UEFA Nations League final with Portugal. Yamal bagged a brace, while Williams scored and provided an assist as the two wingers cut France’s makeshift defense to ribbons. Mikel Merino and Pedri were also on the score sheet for the UEFA Euro 2024 champions. Kylian Mbappe netted a second-half penalty, but Spain were 5-1 up and cruising, before Les Bleus suddenly woke up as their opponents took their foot off the pedal. France’s three late goals — a
Italy crashed to a 3-0 loss away to Norway, as the four-time FIFA World Cup champions made a disastrous start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday, while Belgium had to settle for a draw in North Macedonia. Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland all scored in the first half in pouring rain in Oslo as Norway made it a night to forget for Italy, who missed out on the past two World Cups. “I have no explanation. Our supporters don’t deserve this kind of match. We need to do some soul-searching. It’s unacceptable,” Italy captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi
The Crusaders yesterday produced a clinical performance in difficult conditions to beat the Queensland Reds 32-12 and claim home advantage in next week’s Super Rugby semi-finals. Lock Scott Barrett and prop Tamaiti Williams scored first-half tries to reward an outstanding performance from the Crusaders’ forwards in wet, slippery conditions and bitterly cold temperatures. Scrumhalf Noah Hotham defied the conditions in the second half to score a superb solo try and, after kicking a conversion and penalty to make the score 22-0 at the hour mark, flyhalf Rivez Reihana scored a try which took the game beyond the Reds. “Typical Christchurch weather, cold, wet
RSS