[Mhiz Rebecca]

Serena Williams rewrote history Saturday to surpass
Steffi Graf and capture a record 23rd Grand Slam title
as well as the world number one ranking by beating
her sister Venus in the Australian Open final.
The dominant American swept past her greatest rival
6-4, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena for her seventh Melbourne
Park crown to finally clinch the record for Open-era
major titles, nearly 18 years after winning her first.
The 35-year-old, who equalled Graf’s mark of 22 at
Wimbledon last year, now stands just one behind the
all-time 24 won by Margaret Court, who was in the
president’s box to witness Williams’ feat.
Her astonishing achievement also means she again
becomes the world’s top-ranked player, ending the
brief stay of Angelique Kerber who knocked Williams
off the top after three-and-half years in September last
year.
Fittingly, her sister and closest confidante Venus was
on the other side of the net to share the moment,
another chapter written in their long rivalry.
It was Venus — still a teenager with beads in her hair
— who knocked Serena out in round two on her Grand
Slam debut in Melbourne 19 years ago, and they have
since played nine major finals together, living each
other’s highs and lows.
At 36 and seeded 13, Venus had turned back the clock
to make her first Grand Slam title match since
Wimbledon in 2009, but adding to her seven major
successes was not to be.
Showing the single-mindedness that has propelled her
to greatness, a focused Serena, seeded two, overcame
a scratchy and nervous start in which all four opening
games were breaks and when she smashed a racquet
in frustration.
But she soon settled to get a decisive break to go 4-3
in front with an unstoppable backhand, and served out
the set with an ace.
Serena was fired up and after the first two games of
the second set went to serve, she worked three break
points in the third only for her sister to negotiate her
way out of trouble with some big forehand winners.
The tense battle went with serve to 3-3 before Serena
cranked up the pressure to break with a scintillating
crosscourt backhand and take a 4-3 lead.
With history beckoning, she wasn’t about to throw it
away and she served out the match, falling to the floor
in celebration before a long embrace with Venus to
share the biggest moment of her career.