By Joe Ruiz
Serena Williams of The United States plays a forehand during The Ladies Singles Final against Angelique Kerber of Germany on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 9, 2016 in London, England. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
If she wasn’t already one of the best tennis players ever, Serena Williams solidified her case Saturday by winning Wimbledon in straight sets for her 22nd Grand Slam title.
Williams defeated Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 to win her second consecutive and seventh overall Wimbledon title, according to The Associated Press. The two women played against each other in the Australia Open in January, with Kerber taking that win.
But on Saturday, the 34-year-old tennis star celebrated her latest victory by raising two fingers on each hand to symbolize “22.”
“I love playing her,” Williams said of Kerber. “She’s such a great opponent.”
Williams ties Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era. This seventh title also means Williams is closing in Martina Navratilova’s nine trophy wins.
“It makes the victory even sweeter to know how hard I worked for it,” Williams told ESPN following the match. “I don’t know what else to say. I’m so excited.”
Reuters reported the first set was a fierce back-and-forth battle, but that Williams capitalized midway through the second set for the victory.
“At the end, I was trying everything, but she deserved it today. She really played an unbelievable match,” said Kerber, who hadn’t appeared in a major final until beating Williams in Melbourne. “I think we both play on a really high level.”
If you missed watching Serena win the singles title, you can make up for it by watching her compete alongside her sister Venus in the doubles title match later today.