WIMBLEDON, England — Graduation Day didn't come at the raucous U.S. Open, the refined French Open or even the egalitarian Australian Open. It came off at the stuffiest tennis cathedral of all, Wimbledon. And the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra might as well have been handing out diplomas, or in this case, shiny hardware.
Venus Williams, 22, and her sister Serena Williams, 20, have passed almost every test, real or imagined, in a relatively short span of time. Perhaps the most difficult question was asked and answered Saturday in the women's final at Wimbledon: Was it possible for them to play a competitive match against one another?
Yes ... finally.
It took nine matches for two sisters who grew up in Compton to get it done and mute the criticism about their dominance being a negative for women's tennis.
Second-seeded Serena defeated No. 1 and two-time defending champion Venus, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in 1 hour 17 minutes, handing her older sister her first loss in 21 matches at Wimbledon. Though Venus leads their series, 5-4, the last three matches have been won by Serena, all in straight sets.
This was Serena's third Grand Slam title--trailing Venus by one--and she became the first female player since Steffi Graf in 1996 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Venus and Serena have played each other in three Grand Slam finals in the last 10 months, with Serena winning twice.
"In the beginning of the year, I said, 'I don't care what happens this year. I want to win Wimbledon,' " Serena said. "And it was an extra bonus for me to win the French. Sure, I really wanted to win the French. I just couldn't even believe I won.
"But I just wanted Wimbledon. I wanted to become a member, of so much prestige, so much history. I want to be part of history."
This match footage probably isn't immediately bound for ESPN Classic. But it was compelling theater, particularly in the first set, and it reached a superior level in the tiebreaker. The shot-making and power was sometimes astounding, and there was legitimate emotion from both sisters.
"We really wanted to win Wimbledon," Serena said. "It brought out the best in both of us."
Venus dropped her head after missing shots and appeared on the verge of tears after losing. Serena angrily bounced her racket after getting broken at 5-4 when she served for the first set. On break point, she hit a 105-mph serve and the return came rocketing back, and Serena netted a backhand. Her racket promptly hit the grass.
