Angelique Kerber is a three-time major champion after scoring a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Serena Williams on Saturday to win the 2018 Wimbledon women’s singles title at the All England Club in London.
Kerber, who won the Australian Open and US Open in 2016, is a French Open championship away from the career Grand Slam.
Meanwhile, less than a year after having a baby, Williams fell just short of winning Wimbledon, Abcnews.go.com wrote.
Kerber, who was ranked 11th, beat Williams in just over an hour.
Williams was vying for an eighth career Wimbledon title, after missing the Grand Slam tennis tournament last year while pregnant.
“I was really happy to get this far,” a visibly emotional Williams said in a post-match interview. “For all the moms out there, I was playing for you today and I tried, but Angelique played really well.”
Williams struck the ball into the net during the final point, and Kerber fell on the grass court in a show of victory. The two hugged from across the net after the game.
It’s Kerber’s first Wimbledon title and third Grand Slam title in her tennis career.
Williams, 36, had last faced Kerber, 30, in the 2016 Wimbledon final, where she was victorious.
“You’re such an inspiration for everybody,” Kerber said to Williams during her post-match interview Saturday. “Congrats again for coming back.”
It was Williams’ 10th final at the All England Club. A win would have tied her with Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
Williams was ranked No. 1 in the world when she took her maternity leave before welcoming a daughter in September. She was ranked No. 183 after returning to the pro tour in March.
Williams played unseeded at the French Open in Paris in May, eventually pulling out of the Grand Slam tournament in the fourth round due to an injury.
Speaking to reporters after Saturday’s match, Williams again praised her opponent’s game, saying Kerber played “unbelievable.” She also explained that she was unsure “how I would be able to come back” after taking time off to be a new mom, and that making it to the Wimbledon final was a “great opportunity.”
“It was such a long way to see light at the end of the road,” Williams said.
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