Return Winners: The 2003 Australian Open final

The Setting

By the end of the 2002 season on the WTA Tour, what Richard Williams had once predicted came true: His daughters, Serena and Venus were firmly sitting atop the tennis rankings. The sisters had played each other in the finals of the year’s last three Grand Slams, with Serena winning each time. At the Australian Open in 2003, the sister act continued, with them facing each other in the finals for a fourth consecutive major.

Venus was on a mission going in, breezing through every match without the loss of a set. Serena’s path was just as easy, until the semifinals when she had to rally past Kim Clijsters, but the Williams train would not be denied.

The Final

Throughout their matchups to this point, the sisters rarely played their best tennis against each other, which is understandable given who was across the net. The first set went to a tiebreaker, and Venus’ 12-set winning streak in the tournament came to an end as Serena won it.

Venus took the second set 6-3 to throw the match into a decider. This marked the first time the two played a third set as professionals and it went to Serena, 6-4. With the win, the younger sister completed her “Serena Slam” as she won her fourth major in a row.

Notable Numbers

2

Serena’s quest for history almost ended in the semifinals, as she was down 1- 5 in the third set to Clijsters, saving two match points in the process.

5

This was Serena's fifth Grand Slam, breaking the tie with her sister at four, and never looking back.