After beating seven-time champion Serena Williams 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court on Saturday, Angelique Kerber became the first German to win Wimbledon since Steffi Graf in 1996.

It was the third Grand Slam title for the German No. 1 from Kiel, following previous triumphs at the Australian and US Opens – and it crowned a stunning return to form after a disappointing 2017.

Kerber, 30, last reached this stage of Wimbledon in 2016, when she was beaten by the same opponent — who has since given birth to a baby girl and suffered from illness.

It would have been a dream return to the court for the American legend, but Kerber set the tone right from the start on Centre Court.

Kerber takes control

She broke serve in the very first game before holding her own serve to establish a 2-0 lead and, although Williams broke back immediately, the 11th seeded Kerber wasn't deterred and broke two more times to take the first set 6-3.

Kerber was attempting a range of different shots, not all of which were coming off but she was fortunate that Williams wasn't able to capitalize.

At 1-1 in the second set, Kerber played a shot while toppling backwards which her opponent returned. Then she attempted to lob Williams at the net rather than passing her, but the American got it back. Finally Kerber did go down the line and Williams returned into the net – another unforced error, one of an incredible 20 which the American had made by the midway point in the second set.

In the sixth game, Kerber finally got her shot choices right, smashing home two pin-point passing shots on her way to breaking the Williams serve. A 4-2 lead was then consolidated to 5-2 and 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams appeared to have little answer.

Kerber finally saw the final out, forcing Williams to fire into the net and securing an historic triumph. 

"This is just a dream come true for me," Kerber told British public broadcaster BBC before paying tribute to her opponent who she described as an "inspiration for all of us."

"I knew I had to play my best tennis to beat Serena," she continued. "I think I'm the first German to win since Steffi which is just amazing!" 

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