Serena Williams Wins In New Zealand

On January 12, 38-year-old Serena Williams defeated unseeded Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4, to win the ASB Classic on Sunday in Auckland, New Zealand.

What We Know:

  • “The victory ended a title-less drought that stretched back to the Australian Open in 2017, and included the period she gave birth to her daughter,” CBS Sports.
  • With the tennis racket in her hand, Serena threw her arms up into the air with her head held back letting out a loud victory cry!
  • The best part of Serena’s victory would be that her daughter Olympia, now 2 years old, was able to witness this victory for herself. Hopefully, there will be more to come.
  • According to yahoo.com, this win marks Serena’s 73rd career singles title, following her being honored with AP Female Athlete of the Decade.
  • During Serena’s award ceremony she said, “It feels good. It’s been a long time. I think you can see the relief on my face. Jessica is an Incredible opponent. I feel so fortunate and blessed to be able to just be out here and be healthy and to play. I’ve been out here for so long, and I’ve been through so much, it’s so good to be able to come out and do what I do, and I just feel so happy to do something that I absolutely love.”
  • Serena donated $43,000 of her prize money from the tournament to Australian Bushfire relief. She said, “That was really important for me, and I just wanted to build on it, It’s just a step towards the next goal. And that goal will be coming up fast.

Congratulations Serena!