It may not have been an upset in the same league as the U.S. Open but what happened at the Australian Open on Saturday perhaps wasn't far off.
Angelique Kerber stunned Serena Williams in a 6-4 3-6 6-4 thriller to open her grand slam account and deprive the American of a 22nd title at a major that would have tied Steffi Graf for the Open Era lead.
Just how rare is it for Williams to lose a grand slam final?
She had won her last eight and was 21-4 overall.
And after Kerber upset Williams in Cincinnati in 2012, the world No. 1 reeled off four consecutive victories against the German without conceding a set.
The result followed Williams' semifinal defeat to Roberta Vinci in New York in September, one of the biggest upsets of all time in tennis, and one can't help but ponder if nerves -- or the weight of expectation -- are now getting to the 34-year-old in the most pivotal matches.
"Every time I walk into this room, everyone expects me to win every single match," she told reporters in the main interview room. "As much as I would like to be a robot, I'm not. I try to.
"I do the best I can."
Her comment resembled Roger Federer's "I've created a monster" line after the Swiss suffered a rare, in those days, loss in the Australian Open semifinals in 2008 to Novak Djokovic. That "monster" was the pressure of having to keep on winning in the wake of repeatedly crushing his rivals.
"When you are a big favorite in a grand slam final, you are nervous," Williams' coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, told reporters. "If you are not, you are not normal, so she is."
But he added: "She's been much more nervous in other finals that she won. We just have to congratulate Angelique."
Maybe it was simply meant to be for the left-handed Kerber, who became the first German to win a grand slam since her idol Graf in 1999.
The seventh seed saved a match point in the first round against Misaki Doi, emulating Li Na, who escaped from match point down in the third round in 2014 before her title success.
"My phone is exploding right now," said Kerber, who will rise to second in the rankings. "I don't know how many messages I got. It's amazing."
One was from Graf, who additionally sent a text after Kerber's semifinal win over Johanna Konta.
"I think it's so good for Germany, for German tennis," said Kerber. "After Steffi now someone won a grand slam."
Kerber sunk to her knees when Williams erred on a forehand volley long on match point and soon was in tears to end an evening that was marked by the latter's plethora of unforced errors in the first set prior to turning into an absorbing two-hour affair.
(CNN)
