Flawless Halep dominates Serena in Wimbledon title match
Simona Halep captured the ladies' singles title at Wimbledon in dominant fashion Saturday, beating 23-time major champion Serena Williams in a 6-2, 6-2 landslide.
The moment @Simona_Halep became Romania's first ever #Wimbledon singles champion 🇷🇴 pic.twitter.com/bny53dP8AL
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2019
Halep entered the contest with an uninspiring 1-9 all-time record against the American icon. The former No. 1's only prior WTA Tour victory against Williams came in the semifinals at Indian Wells in 2015.
Memories of Halep's previous shortcomings were soon quelled, however, as she went up a double break in a nearly flawless first set that featured just two unforced errors. Miraculously, she ratcheted her game up to another level in the second set, conceding just one unforced error.
The 27-year-old was sensational in all phases, stonewalling any bid for momentum mounted by her legendary opponent.
| Stats | S. Halep | S. Williams |
|---|---|---|
| 1st serve % in | 75.6 | 68.1 |
| Win % on 1st serve | 82.4 | 59.4 |
| Win % on 2nd serve | 45.5 | 46.7 |
| Rec. points won | 44.7 | 26.7 |
| Winners | 13 | 17 |
| Unforced errors | 3 | 25 |
The match took all of 55 minutes to reach its conclusion.
In the immediate aftermath, Halep labeled the performance the best of her career.
"Have you ever played a better match than that?"
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2019
"Never!"@Simona_Halep speaks as a #Wimbledon champion for the first time... pic.twitter.com/0VRfeD628L
Following her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2018, Halep has now secured major tournament wins on both clay and grass.
In the next WTA rankings update, Halep will climb to No. 4, trailing only Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka, and Karolina Pliskova. Despite the loss, Williams will rise to No. 9.