Serena Takes The Coupe By Cheryl Jones

Written by: Staff on 8th June 2013

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

Serena Takes The Coupe By Cheryl Jones

epa03736662 Serena Williams of the USA holds the championship trophy after defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia in the women's final for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 08 June 2013. EPA/CHRISTOPHE KARABA |

It took just an hour and 46 minutes for Serena Williams to reiterate what most tennis aficionados have been sure of since the first ball was struck at 2013’s Roland Garros. She defeated last year’s champ, Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4, before a sold-out crowd that arrived early and stayed late to see the presentation ceremony after the match. The two women were the 1 and 2 seeds. True to form, they played as if that was the case. Even though the outcome was expected, evidently it surprised Williams. She dropped to her knees after a just beyond the baseline return by Sharapova and appeared appropriately thrilled with her accomplishment.

The match was tight and even though the score tilted in Williams’ favor, there was more to it than just the outcome. Serena’s strength has been her savior for most of her career. This year, her fitness surely is a valuable asset. (Speaking of assets, with the win, she took home nearly two million US dollars or 1.5 million Euros.) She has always been a scrapper, but now, she’s got a weapon that will be difficult for anyone to overcome. Her stamina has been impeccable. No more does she huff and puff when she goes that extra few steps to command a point. She has always been a gifted athlete and now her fitness is a match. It belies her age and it’s sure to give her hope that she will be able to dominate the action in more tournaments that will appear on the horizon.

Williams’ win today gave her a place in the record books that eased another American out of the picture. She is now the oldest winner at Roland Garros in the Open Era at 31 years, 256 days. She replaced Chris Evert, who was 31 years, 169 days when she took away the Coupe in 1986. It’s another footnote for Serena in the History of Tennis through the ages.

Sharapova is a statuesque beauty at 6’2”. One of her former coaches told her when she was a willowy teen that if the tennis didn’t workout, she could be a runway model. He was right. But the tennis did work out. She is strong and athletic. She understands the game and at twenty-six, she still has years ahead of her on the tour, as long as she remains healthy. She managed to offer up statistics that are admirable and against any other woman on the tour; she might have come out on top Saturday afternoon. Williams’ ten aces to Sharapova’s two were significant, but not the only chapter in the story that the statistics provided. Maria’s service has been an issue since the shoulder surgery in 2008, but there were only four double faults and most others were spot on. Serena had no double faults. Her serve has seldom been an issue and the power behind it always consistent. She is a strong woman who has funneled that power into a game that isn’t perfect, but darn near.

Unforced errors are always a factor in a contest. They are determined in what I’ve always felt was an arbitrary manner. Williams chocked up the most of those at 21. (That’s not a good thing.) Maria scored 17 of the same but her 10 winners lagged far behind Williams’ 29. That and the 71-56 total point tally said it all.

After the match, Williams spoke about her last year’s loss in the first round, She said, “I have no points to defend. I have nothing to lose. I can just kind of relax and just do what I want to do here.” Serena, who often mangles the English language in her statements to the press, never spoke truer words. It was easy to see her determination in every shot that pretty much went just where she wanted it to go. In fact, both women played what will be remembered as a clean match. There was seldom a call or a shot that required a second glance. It was a pleasure to see no theatrics from either.

The 11-year drought in Paris is over, but Serena will not move up in the rankings. She remains Number One. There isn’t another rung on the ladder. She’s at the pinnacle of women’s tennis. How long she’ll stay there is anyone’s guess. Diehard tennis fans have been watching her since she was a little girl with clacking beads in her hair and a smile bigger than her face. She has matured into a champion that will never be forgotten. She has earned her place in the annals of tennis history and it can never be taken away.

(Bob and Mike Bryan who live in Florida but still have close ties to Southern California won an unbelievably emotional doubles match up against Frenchmen, Nicaolas Mahut and Michael Llodra, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), soon after the festivities following the women’s final. The Bryan brothers scored 106 points in the match and the French duo was just two points back with 104. This is the 10th anniversary of their first Major that occurred in Paris. Now they have 14.)

Topics: Bob And Mike Bryan, French Open, Maria Sharapova, Roland Garros, Serena Williams, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, women tennis news, Wta