Simona Halep made quick work of Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 in the 2019 Wimbledon final, despite entering the match with a discouraging 1-9 win-loss record against the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
The seventh-seeded Halep looked relaxed and confident as she cruised to her second major title in just 56 minutes, running after everything that seed No.11 Williams threw at her. Halep played a near perfect match, recording just three unforced errors and making Williams feel like a deer in the headlights.
It took Halep less than 12 minutes to go 4-0 up, and she barely slowed down. Williams did earn one break point in the sixth game, but didn’t convert it, and it turned out to be her only break opportunity in the entire match. Halep recorded eight winners before a single unforced error, while Williams accumulated nine unforced errors before conjuring up a single winner.
Trying to win an all-time record-tying 24th singles Grand Slam, Williams found a better rhythm early in the second set, but the Romanian broke to lead 3-2 when Williams pushed a backhand long, and the Venus Rosewater Dish was soon in her hands.
En route to the Wimbledon title, Halep defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round, compatriot Mihaela Buzarnescu in the second, fellow former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka in the third, teen phenomenon Cori Gauff in the fourth, as well as two nemeses in Zhang Shuai and No.8 seed Elina Svitolina, both of whom led their head-to-heads with Halep ahead of their encounters at the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament.
In the final Halep wore the Nike Fall Slam London Dress, while during the Wimbledon fortnight she also debuted the Nike Fall Victory London Skirt, both of which I presented in my NikeCourt fashion overview.
Fantastic win! Well done to Simona
That finals match was an embarrassment for both players, especially the American, who comported herself as if her feet were planted in concrete. No running, no foot movement or shot preparation, and utterly no effort or sense of urgency. Billie Jean King called it accurately….just a celebrity who is trying to extend her Warhol 15 minutes of fame so desperately. Pathetic. And if the women’s purse is the same as the men’s, what a joke. There is no parity, none, in the caliber of game on the men and women’s side. There should be proportional compensation as well.
Agreed, Rich Currier on the embarrassment & equal pay. Simona didn’t win that match; Serena gifted it to her. She let her nerves get the best of her, just as she’s done in the last 3 finals which were lost terribly. Didn’t even look like a 7-time Wimbledon champ out there; looked more like the underdog, a frightened little kitten in the midst of a storm. Simona should’ve gone up to the net after winning and said: “Gee, golly, Serena! You made it so easy for me, as if you were paid to let me win and you lose. Thanks for the gift of the title! Much appreciated!” Serena has lost her confidence and needs to take Billie Jean’s advice: Ditch being a celebrity and focus more on your profession: tennis. She should’ve passed Court’s record by now. How are you going to fight all the way to get to the finish line, get to the finals and show up like you’re not in it to win it? And since giving birth, how is it you don’t know how to actually win in a final anymore? 23 major titles! I mean, come on now, you’re the seasoned veteran! Looks like a mental meltdown occurs out of no where, once she makes it to a final since having her baby; purely psychological. Better get a refund from that therapist like ASAP! Yes, Serena’s earned the title of the GOAT, but her dominance sadly is over and time is steadily ticking away. “I’ll keep fighting for equality for people that look like you and me until I’m in the grave.” Well, why aren’t you expressing that same type of passion and determination for maintaining your dominance in tennis? A heartbreaking embarrassment, indeed. Congrats Halep on receiving the giveaway title so graciously and thinking you played spectacular tennis to get it. What a joke this final was!