Serena Williams upset by Angelique Kerber in Australian Open final
Angelique Kerber upset Serena Williams in three sets in the Australian Open final on Saturday to win the first Grand Slam of her career.
Kerber won the first set 6–4 before Williams roared back to take the second set 6–3. But Kerber, the tournament's No. 7 seed, regrouped and took the third set 6–4.
Kerber's victory means that Williams will have to wait until the French Open in the spring for another shot at her record–tying 22nd Grand Slam title. The world No. 1 currently has 21 Slam titles, just one behind Steffi Graf's record Open Era total.
On Saturday, Williams recorded 46 unforced errors to Kerber's 13. Williams had won her last eight Grand Slam finals.
Kerber, 28, had never reached a Grand Slam final before this year's Australian Open. The German beat No. 14 Victoria Azarenka, considered by many a favorite to win the tournament, in the quarterfinals, and she topped Johanna Konta in the semifinal to set up a final match with Williams.
Kerber's Australian Open nearly ended in the first round, when she saved a match point against unseeded Misaki Doi and rallied to win in three sets.
After the match, Kerber praised Williams and said the last two weeks were the best of her life.
Williams was denied what would have been her seventh Australian Open title. She had won four of her last five Grand Slam events.
- Stanley Kay
