2007 australian open - ladies final

Never underestimate a motherfucking Williams sister!

Via The New York Times -

It has been two weeks of turning back the clock for Serena Williams, and under a closed roof during Saturday’s Australian Open women’s final, she completed her astoundingly quick trip back to dominance against the top-seeded Maria Sharapova.

Under the lights, she was the relentless Williams of yore: crushing returns and first serves, casting ominous glances across the net and showing not the slightest hint of vulnerability as she raced to a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

The rout, which required just one hour and three minutes, capped one of the most remarkable comebacks in tennis history, and it came against the young, confident woman who will regain the No. 1 ranking on Monday.

But there could be no doubt about who was No. 1 Saturday, as Williams applied enormous pressure from the start and methodically extracted all the suspense to win her eighth Grand Slam singles title and third Australian Open title.

She also won here in 2003 and 2005, and that victory in 2005 was her last in any tournament until this year’s unexpected run through a brutal draw in Melbourne. Although Williams arrived here unseeded and ranked 81st, she eliminated six seeded players in her seven matches.

But Williams, the first unseeded woman to win here since the Australian Chris O’Neil in 1978, saved the most prestigious victim for last. When it was over, Williams was jumping up and down with delight, reaching up into the stands to slap hands with her mother and coach, Oracene Price, and eventually dancing in front of her chair. Meanwhile, Sharapova was sitting in hers with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“You can never underestimate her as an opponent, and I don’t think many of you expected her to be in the final, but I definitely did,” Sharapova said to the crowd in Rod Laver Arena. “I know what she’s capable of. She showed it today. She’s an amazing champion, and she showed it here many times, and of course I look forward to playing her many more times, and winning a few, I hope.”