Victory for Venus Williams

After what we just witnessed, it’s hard to believe that Venus Williams hasn’t been to a Grand Slam singles final since 2009, at Wimbledon, or that she hasn’t reached the title match at a hard-court major since 2003, when she did so in Melbourne.

Venus needed every timely serve, every uppercut groundstroke and every bit of accumulated sage determination to overcome this challenge, for we also saw some of Vandeweghe’s best tennis.

If I had to pick one shot that defined this match, it was a second serve Venus struck while leading 4-3 in the deciding set.

Venus had turned the tide with a commanding second set, and although she took an early break-of-serve lead in the third set, Vandeweghe kept hammering away in her service games, necessitating an equally forceful response.

It was the last serve Venus would need to hit; she wrapped up the match with a comprehensive display of top-tier tennis.

Venus’ lone moment of relaxation once “Game, set, match” had finally been called was one she savored.