Williams wins! 6-4, 6-4
Here we go then. Williams serving for the title, 11 years to the day since she last won it.
She looks collected as she steps to the line.
Ace. 15-0.
Sharapova stretches to return service on the second point but Williams hits another wild shot for 15-15.
Another straightforward serve for 30-15.
Wide serve and deft chipped return into the corner and Williams has two match points…
ACE! WILLIAMS WINS!
Presentation ceremony
A disappointed but sanguine Sharapova does the routine of promising to “be back next year” after Williams has addressed the crowd in French — she’s really going out of her way to win round a crowd she’s had a prickly relationship with in the past.
Williams is looking formidable right now. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s records of 18 Grand Slam titles look like the next ones on the horizon for her, maybe even this year. After that, who knows? She certainly looks like a player who has rediscovered her appetite for the game and also a way to bring more longevity to her career.
For now she skips up to lift this trophy, beaming broadly and to a genuinely warm reception.
