Serena Williams and her 13 Grand Slam titles Part III
This is the third installment of a four-part series which salutes the achievements of former World No, 1 Serena Williams, with a particular focus on her 13 Grand Slam singles titles. As mentioned before, the player has amassed
a total of 27 Grand Slam titles: two more in mixed doubles, and the remaining 12 in doubles matches. She is without a doubt the best tennis player in the world, despite the rankings. Serena hasn’t been unable to play for the past few months due to a glass
injury – however, she is expected to return after her rehabilitation is completed. Let’s take a look at three of her last six Grand Slam titles.
Grand Slam Number 8: 2007 Australian Open
It seemed as if Serena Williams could do no wrong in her 2007 Melbourne Grand Slam. She was the best she had ever been at the arena, and her heavy-hitting paid off when she dismantled Maria Sharapova in straight sets, winning the
final with a score line of 6-1, 6-2 against the Russian. This was the first Grand Slam which Serena had won in two years, and it was also the perfect revenge against Sharapova, who had defeated her in straight sets at the 2004 Wimbledon final.
Serena Williams had not been able to make it too far in the Australian Open of 2006, falling to Daniela Hantuchova in the round of the last 32. The tournament was eventually won by now-retired tennis pro, Amelie Mauresmo.
Grand Slam Number 9: 2008 US Open
After the 2007 Aussie victory, Serena went a year without winning a single Grand Slam. All that changed in August and September of 2008, when the US Open was held. Serena had showed spectacular results at her last US Open victory,
and her performance in this tournament was proof that she was back to the same form.
It was one of the best tournaments the American pro had ever played, and the only time she seemed challenged during the tournament was in her quarter final match against sister, Venus Williams. Serena won the tournament without
dropping even a single set. She was seeded fourth at the event, and defeated Serbian player Jelena Jankovic in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 to win the final and seize her third tournament title at Flushing Meadows, New York.
Once again, this was solid revenge for the previous year’s Melbourne tournament, where Serena had fallen to Jankovic despite being the defending Champion. In addition to this, it was a great occasion for the United States. Serena
Williams was the first American player, ATP or WTA, to win a singles title since Andy Roddick’s 2003 Wimbledon victory.
Grand Slam Number 10: 2009 Australian Open
Serena Williams has routinely won the Australian Open in odd years (in 2003, 2005 and 2007) and the 2009 Aussie event was no exception. This was her fourth victory at Melbourne, and she achieved it by a 6-0, 6-3 defeat of Dinara
Safina (who enjoyed a brief stint as World No. 1). The 2008 Australian Open was won by Maria Sharapova, who defeated Ana Ivanovic. Serena had been knocked out in the quarter final of the event.
The 2009 Australian Open was the 97th time the event was being played, and is famous for being one of the more eventful tournaments of the year 2009. Serena Williams was the second seed at this event, and Safina was
the third seed. In the same tournament, Serena partnered with her sister Venus William to participate in the women’s doubles tournament as well. She and Venus managed to win the title with a classic defeat of Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyami. The final score
line was a straight sets victory of 6-3, 6-3.
The next and final installment will discuss the three recent Grand Slams won by the American.
Tags: