Serena Williams Defeated by Angelique Kerber in Australian Open final

Serena Williams’ hopes of matching Steffi Graf’s Grand Slam haul of 22 major titles were hampered by Angelique Kerber with a shock victory in the Australian Open final. Kerber became the first German to clinch a major since Graf won the last of her slams at Roland Garros in 1999 with a 6-4 3-6 6-4 success on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Saturday. World No 1 Williams had beaten Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals and fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the semi-finals. Kerber, inspired by a message from legend Graf, said before the match that her opponent was the one on pressure and she mercilessly exploited her weaknesses in what turned out to be a thriller. “When I played here in the first round I had one leg on the plane to Germany and now I’m here,” Kerber said. “I think I get the second chance and I take my chance to be here in the finals against Serena. “I’m really honoured to be here and to win it is my dream come true tonight. “My whole life I worked really hard and now I’m here I can say I’m a Grand Slam champion. It’s crazy and unbelievable.” The 28-year-old broke twice in the first set as Williams made 23 unforced errors. It was the first time Williams has lost in eight Australian Open finals and the 21-time major champion was well below-par, making 46 unforced errors, more than double the amount of any of her previous rounds. “Angy congratulations, you did so well, you played the best in the tournament,” Williams said. “Let me be the first to congratulate you and I hope you enjoy this moment.”