Underdog Simona Halep makes history after securing her first Wimbledon title after defeating tournament favourite Serena Williams in a convincing straight sets victory.
Williams was denied her 8th Wimbledon title after an emphatic execution from Halep ensured a comfortable 6-2 6-2 victory for the Romanian who defeated Williams in under an hour.
Halep’s second grand slam title would come 13 months after her victory at Rolland Garros.
With each player only facing 1 opponent fixed in the ATPs top 20 prior to their faceoff, anticipations were high for a match of outstanding quality between two titans of the sport.
The 27 year old began the finals on the right footing, breaking Williams’s serve in the opening game, setting the precedent for a dominant first set.
Halep proved to be a fortress on her own serve, dropping a mere 6 points with an almost 80% first serve point win percentage.
Simona showcased a vigorous and determined performance throughout the match, dictating the pacing of the final in a near perfect display totalling only three unforced errors.
Halep’s energetic playstyle contrasted to Williams’s lethargic movement around centre court, often lunging for shots alongside an uncharacteristic quantity of mistakes which left Serna with her head down at the changeovers.
After conceding two early break points the 37 year old found herself 4-0 down after just 11 minutes of play.
A relaxed Simona maintained a strong returning form to Serena’s infamously powerful serves and combined that with her utilisation of amazing groundstrokes and deep baseline rallies that forced Williams into making the errors.
The precedent of a sluggish Williams continued throughout the first set, often firing shots wide or into the net which totalled a staggering 5 times more unforced errors than her opponent.
The final point of the first set was rounded by a thunderous serve from Halep forcing Williams to fire the ball wide, finishing the set in a rapid 27 minutes.
The start of the second set began promising for the eleventh seed Williams, fashioning a rejuvenated approach with renewed aggression to every shot, screaming after every point won as the roaring crowd boosted her on.
The 23 time grand slam champion began to crawl back the scoring, winning her first 2 services with her first and only ace of the match, finally revealing the commanding form of tennis accustomed to her playstyle.
However, Halep wouldn’t waver continuing her near perfect run with a flawless serve to even up the score showing a consistently confident exhibit on the court dominating control, conveying brilliant stamina to reach every shot.
Williams’s control of the game would be frequently undermined by a series of overly aggressive shots fired too wide with recurrent glances at her racquet to assess the mishaps.
By the fifth game the initiative was retaken by Halep as the world number seven broke the serve of the American after coming to the net and firing the ball too deep.
Halep would go on to reach the zenith of her game breezing through the next 2 games with ease, clawing towards the final game of the set which would consolidate her champion.
The championship point would be claimed as Williams was unable to clear the net on the forehand following a flawless final game crushing the seven time champion game to love.
Cementing her title Halep fell to her knees in celebration with the thunderous applause of centre court surrounding her.
An embrace between the two advisories closing to the net would mark an end to a thrilling final as Halep went onto parade around centre court in thanks and disbelief.
After just 56 minutes, she has become the first Romanian in history to achieve a singles grand slam title at Wimbledon.
Simona’s determined athleticism was seemingly unstoppable throughout the final, overcoming the odds of toppling Williams, Simona Halep is a visible candidate for one of the greatest Wimbledon performances of all time.
