Serena Slam achieved

Younger Williams sister wins fourth consecutive Grand Slam

Serena Williams has advanced further at the Aussie Open every year since her Melbourne debut in 1998. AP

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Serena Slam or Sister Slam -- no matter what you call it, Serena Williams is truly grand.

Williams survived an error-filled match to beat elder sister Venus 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 Saturday to win the Australian Open for her fourth straight major championship.

Serena added another Grand Slam title to the French Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon crowns she won last year, all against her sister.

After Venus slumped through four straight errors in the final game, the sisters met at the net to put their arms around each other's shoulders and whisper in each other's ears. While Serena blew kisses to the crowd, Venus applauded with her racket.

"I never get choked up, but I'm really emotional right now," Serena said at the trophy ceremony.

On the verge of tears, she added: "I'm really, really, really happy. I'd like to thank my mom and my dad for helping me."

Venus, who at 22 is 15 months older than Serena, paid tribute to her sister.

Advantage: Serena Career head-to-head meetings Year  Tourney  Round  Winner  Score  1998  Aus. Open  second  Venus  7-6, 6-1  1998  Rome  quarters  Venus  6-4, 6-2  1999  K. Biscayne  final  Venus  6-1, 4-6, 6-4  1999  G.S. Cup  final  Serena  6-1, 3-6, 6-3  2000  Wimbledon  semis  Venus  6-2, 7-6  2001  Indian Wells  semis  *Serena  walkover  2001  U.S. Open  final  Venus  6-2, 6-4  2002  Miami  semis  Serena  6-2, 6-2  2002  Fr. Open  final  Serena  6-3, 7-5  2002  Wimbledon  final  Serena  7-6, 6-3  2002  U.S. Open  final  Serena  6-4, 6-3  2003  Aus. Open  final  Serena  7-6, 3-6, 6-4  * Does not officially count as a win or a loss

"I wish I could have been the winner. but of course you have a great champion in Serena and she has won all four Grand Slams, which is something I'd love to do one day," she said.

"So, yeah, I'd kind of like to be just like her," she said.

"I don't want to be just a player who won four Grand Slams whether she wins five or 15," Venus added. "Look at those players who won 20. I still have a long way to go and not much time."

Venus, who had been swept in straight sets in her previous three matches against Serena, had her chances this time.

Ahead 5-4 in the first set, she served to close it out -- only to have Serena come back to win.

Serena now holds a 5-4 career edge over Venus in major titles and also owns a 6-5 lead in head-to-head matches. Serena collected US$654,000 for this victory and Venus won US$327,000.

Women's Grand Slams Same calendar year: Maureen Connolly (1953 Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. National Championships) Margaret Smith Court (1970 Australian, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open) Steffi Graf (1988 Australian, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open) Non-calendar year: Martina Navratilova (1983 Wimbledon, U.S. Open, Australian Open; 1984 French Open) Steffi Graf (1993 French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open; 1994 Australian Open) Serena Williams (2002 French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open; 2003 Australian Open) Notes: Maureen Connolly also won the 1952 Wimbledon and U.S. National Championship title for six consecutive major titles. Margaret Smith Court also won the 1969 U.S. Open and 1971 Australian Open singles titles for six consecutive major titles. Martina Navratilova also won the 1984 Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles for six consecutive major titles. Steffi Graf also won the 1989 Australian Open title for five consecutive major titles.

This marked only the sixth time a woman has held all four of tennis' major championships at the same time, and the first since Steffi Graf in 1994.

"I just can't believe I can now be compared to these women," Serena said of Graf, Margaret Court, Maureen Connolly and Martina Navratilova. Graf, Court and Connolly have won true slams -- all four in one calendar year -- and Navratilova has held all four titles at once.

"They're such greats and I don't known if I'll accomplish everything they have but to even be in the category of winning four in a row is for me really amazing, it's something I've always dreamed of and wanted to do," Serena added.

To do it, Serena had to beat her sister, best friend and practice partner each time. The Williams siblings are the first two women in Grand Slam history to square off in four consecutive finals.

While the tennis wasn't always brilliant, the Australian Open final did offer more intrigue than its three predecessors.

There were junctures, particularly in the second and third sets, where both sisters chased down balls and slugged them with speed and power that no other woman can display.

Unlike at Roland Garros, the All England Club or Flushing Meadows in the series of all-in-the-family finals, there were a match's worth of long rallies, with brilliance from both sides of the net.

Both seemed to invest more of themselves emotionally than in previous encounters, with fists pumping, eyes rolling, and plenty of grunts on strokes.

And Venus took a set off little sis for the first time since beating Serena in the U.S. Open final in September 2001 -- which was the first all-sibling Grand Slam championship match since the Watson sisters played at Wimbledon in 1884.

Winners of all four majors Men Rod Laver -- Australian (3), French (2), Wimbledon (4), U.S. (2) Roy Emerson -- Australian (6), French (2), Wimbledon (2), U.S. (2) Fred Perry -- Australian (1), French (1), Wimbledon (3), U.S. (3) Andre Agassi -- Australian (3), French (1), Wimbledon (1), U.S. (2) Don Budge -- Australian (1), French (1), Wimbledon (2), U.S. (2) Women Margaret Smith Court -- Australian (11), French (5), Wimbledon (3), U.S. (5) Steffi Graf -- Australian (4), French (6), Wimbledon (7), U.S. (5) Martina Navratilova -- Australian (3), French (2), Wimbledon (9), U.S. (4) Chris Evert -- Australian (2), French (7), Wimbledon (3), U.S. (6) Billie Jean King -- Australian (1), French (1), Wimbledon (6), U.S. (4) Maureen Connolly -- Australian (1), French (2), Wimbledon (3), U.S. (3) Doris Hart -- Australian (1), French (2), Wimbledon (1), U.S. (2) Serena Williams -- Australian (1), French (1), Wimbledon (1), U.S. (2) Shirley Fry -- Australian (1), French (1), Wimbledon (1), U.S. (1)

Now it's become rather routine.

Throughout the 2-hour, 22-minute match, Serena showed how intent she was on winning. Even so, Venus tested her more than in their previous three matches, which Serena won in straight sets.

After losing her serve for 4-5, Serena threw her racket.

In the first-set tiebreaker, she took a ball she thought was out and hit a forehand past Venus, who had stopped playing.

Then she turned on the line judge and shouted, "You just don't call them out, do you?"

After failing to cash in five break points in the final set's eighth game, Serena gave her sister a game point with a netted forehand and slammed down her racket.

Serena had 54 errors to Venus' 51, but beat her 37-28 on winners.

Serving while trailing 4-3 in the final set, Venus really showed mettle, fighting off five break points that would have allowed Serena to serve for the match -- the last with a 120 mph service winner.

Serena held serve to go up 5-4, finishing with an ace and a backhand winner. And then she broke Venus' serve to win, with plenty of help.

The match's final four points went like this: Venus' backhand error, Venus' backhand error, Venus' double fault, Venus' forehand error.

"This one has been a really tough one for me," Serena said, noting that she came close to losing against Emilie Loit in the first round and Kim Clijsters in the semifinals.

"The past two slams I don't think I dropped a set but this tourney has been a little more difficult. Venus played unbelievable and then Kim and Emilie," she added.

Final played indoors MELBOURNE, Jan 25 (Reuters) -- Venus and Serena Williams are playing Saturday's Australian Open women's final under a closed roof -- the first time in the tournament's history the entire final is being played indoors. Stifling temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius mean the tournament's Extreme Heat Policy is being implemented at Melbourne Park and the centre court roof -- closed on Friday due to excessive heat -- remains shut. Steffi Graf's victory over Chris Evert in the 1988 final was partially played under a closed roof due to rain. The roof was also closed on Friday when the Williams sisters teamed up to win the women's doubles final. The Extreme Heat Policy kicks in once temperatures hit 35 degrees Celsius, and the new Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) was 29. The WBGT is a combination of ambient air temperature, humidity, intensity of solar radiation and wind speed which together affect the ability of person to lose heat whether exercising or sitting still.

"I'm really happy I was able to come through."

The match was played under cover in the Rod Laver Arena due to the extreme heat in Melbourne, where temperatures reached 42 degrees (108 F).

This was the first time at the Australian Open that an entire women's final has been played with the roof closed. When Graf beat Chris Evert in 1988, the roof was closed during the match because of rain.

At last year's women's final, the roof was open with temperatures in the mid-30s (mid-90s F). Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis escaped at times by taking refuge in the entrance tunnels. Capriati saved four match points and won when Hingis wilted.

Capriati also is the only player to dent the Williams sisters' domination of major titles starting at Wimbledon in 2000. She won the Australian in 2001 and 2002 and the French in 2001, but lost in the first round here, hampered by the effects of recent eye surgery.

In the men's doubles final, Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra got even for their loss in last year's final, beating Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and Canadian Daniel Nestor 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

 

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