Melbourne, Jan 30 (IANS) German Angelique Kerber has described winning her maiden Grand Slam title as a “dream come true” after she shocked World No.1 Serena Williams in the women’s singles final of the Australian Open here on Saturday night.
Kerber, who won in a three-set epic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, said never in her wildest dreams would she imagine winning the Australian Open, no less against an almost unstoppable World No.1, reports Xinhua.
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. Kerber said it made her victory at Melbourne Park all the more sweeter.
“When I played here in the first round, I was matchpoint down, so I had one leg in the plane to Germany, and now I’m here. I took my chance to be here in the final and play Serena. To win it, it’s my dream come true tonight,” an emotional Kerber told the crowd post-match.
The No.7 seed said she now has a life-long connection to Melbourne and described the tournament as the “best two weeks” of her entire career.
“My whole life I’ve worked really hard and now I’m here and I can say I’m a Grand Slam champion and it sounds really crazy and unbelievable. It’s been the best two weeks of my life, of my career,” Kerber said.
Meanwhile, Williams had nothing but praise for Kerber and said her win was a testament to her positive attitude and was vindication for years of effort.
“She played so well today and had an attitude a lot of people can learn from – to stay positive and never give up. If I couldn’t win, I’m happy she did,” Williams said.
On the back of the win, Kerber will move to No.2 in the world when the latest rankings are released next week.