Murray, Soares capture Australian Open men’s doubles title

Angelique Kerber (R) and Serena Williams pose after receiving the Australian Open trophies in Melbourne on Saturday.

Williams produced 23 unforced errors in the first set of the final, which gave Kerber all of the momentum she needed, knowing that battling back from a set down would be tough against one of the game’s best closers.

The 28-year-old recalled a moment in her first round match where she had to save a matchpoint against Japanese qualifier Misaki Doi to make second round. Serena had been in imperious form all tournament, but too many errors cost her dearly against an opponent she had beaten five times before.

Gone midnight and Angelique Kerber was conducting yet another interview after the biggest win of her career. Germany may be about to go Kerber insane.

Kerber called the gesture the sign of a great champion. They told me, “Okay, let’s go to work and you will do it some day”. “I should get into acting”.

The American, summoning the belief forged from 25 grand slam finals, stormed back to break Kerber as she served for the match.

Williams had been bidding for her seventh Australian Open title and 22nd overall, which would have moved her into a tie with Kerber’s childhood idol Steffi Graf for the record in the Open era.

Kerber’s triumph will see her climb to number two in the world rankings on Monday after an impressive tournament, which also saw her take out the much-fancied Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals. “My whole life I am working really hard, and now I am here and call myself a Grand Slam champion”.

“I hope you enjoy this victory to the fullest in order to achieve many more successes”. Williams smiled and said, “Really?” In Melbourne, she lost the chance to equal Steffi Graf’s 22 Grand Slams, coincidentally stopped by her compatriot. Coming into this match, Williams was 21-4 in major finals, and she’d won her last eight in a row. “I think sometimes I am really not easy but I have the best family and the best team in the world…” I took my chance to be here in the final and play Serena.

That resulted in unforced errors, something Williams had not been forced to do through her run to a seventh Australian Open final. I think I kept picking the wrong shots coming into it.

“Once it got started, it was so intense from the beginning till the end that I didn’t really have time to be nervous”, she said. However, some impressive returns and incredible defence forced Serena to finally succumb with a missed volley on match point, handing Kerber the match, 6-4 3-6 6-4 and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial cup, her maiden grand slam silverware.

The opening salvo had looked ominous as Williams raced through the first game to love and then put pressure on the German, who was down 15-30 after a double fault but managed to suppress any demons she may have had and held on.