Halep storms past Williams to win Wimbledon title – as it happened

That was a gracious press conference from Williams. She certainly paid for a lack of match practice today, as well as a lack of matches this year against quality opponents. Was she nervous? She was moving slowly at the start, which is usually a sign she’s feeling the pressure. But even if she had been sharper, I don’t think it would have been enough against Halep in that form. That was one of the great Wimbledon final performances and the best match of Halep’s life, a devastating display of aggression and consistency from a player we all thought was a counterpuncher. Halep will move up to No 4 in the rankings and could be back at No 1 by the time of the US Open, while Williams must regroup for another shot at that 24th grand slam, at a major where the pressure has often boiled over for her in previous years. Thanks so much for your company today and this fortnight, do join Jacob tomorrow for Djokovic v Federer. Bye!

Williams is being quizzed in the press conference room.

She just played great. I don’t think it’s a surprise. But I made way too many errors. I just have to figure out a way to win a final [to get that record-equalling 24th grand slam]. Maybe playing finals outside of a grand slam final would be really helpful.

She was just getting so many balls back. I think I was over-hitting it and trying to go for too much. I can’t say I blame injury. I wasn’t injured when the tournament started which is a positive for me. I just need to keep going and moving forward.

Any loss is not easy but when someone plays lights-out, there’s not much you can do. You just have to accept it was their day.

It seems every grand slam final I’ve been in recently has been an unbelievable effort to get there. It would be interesting to see how it would be in different circumstances.

And Donald McRae’s interview with Halep from back in January is well worth a read. It helps explain why the new Wimbledon champion played with so much freedom today:

Kevin Mitchell has been typing away furiously next to me and here’s his match report:

“I’m shocked,” says John McEnroe on the BBC. “Halep obviously is a tremendous and, at this stage in her career, the superior athlete. But I didn’t think it would intimidate Serena Williams as much as it did today.

“Halep completely and thoroughly outplayed her. It wasn’t even a match. There’s only a handful of times in your life when you feel as though you’re in the zone like that and that was one of them.

“Williams has to get herself even fitter because at that level she can be exposed – especially if nerves come into play. Halep moves better than anyone on the tour. Why she thought she couldn’t play well on grass I don’t know. Maybe it took her a while to figure out.

“Today was the best match she’s ever played and she’s just beaten Williams in 55 minutes.”

The victory speech.

Halep is still beaming as she looks at her name, which is already painted on the winners’ board. There’s nothing like Wimbledon efficiency. And here’s the moment she’s been waiting for, as she meets the Duchess of Cambridge. She’s now out on the balcony of the clubhouse showing off the trophy. Lovely scenes.

The championship point.

A beaming champion speaks. “Have you ever played a better match?” asks Sue Barker. “Never,” replies Halep, still clutching the trophy, which I don’t think she’ll be letting go of for a while.

“It was the best match. I have worked a lot for this moment. It’s an honour to play in front of the Royal Box. I don’t have the words to explain.

“I had nerves! My stomach was not well before the match, but I came on court and gave my best. It’s something special and I’ll never forget this day. It’s my mum’s dream. She said that if I want to do something in tennis it is to play in the Wimbledon final.

“I told people in the locker room that if I win I will get membership for life, it was one of the motivations for me.

“I have worked a lot to change my game, to be able to win matches on grass. It was an amazing tournament and I can’t wait to come back. It’s been an honour.”

A great speech from a great champion.

“She literally played out of her mind,” says Williams. “It was a little bit deer in the headlights for me. Whenever a player plays like that you just have to take your hat off. I love coming out here, playing in front of you guys. It’s literally a joy.”

Trophy time. Williams trudges up to collect her runners-up trophy and still manages to find a smile. As does Meghan in the Royal Box. Sadly no sign of any hostilities between her and Kate this afternoon, by the way. And here comes Halep to collect the Venus Rosewater Dish, which she proudly lifts above her head.

Wow. I’m not sure Halep has ever played better than that. Williams looks shell-shocked. She remains stuck on 23 grand slam titles. First it was Angelique Kerber here last year, then Naomi Osaka at the US Open, and now this.

Second set: Williams 2-6, 2-5 Halep* (*denotes next server)

Williams’s box, including her mother, Oracene, and husband, Alexis Ohanian, look extremely worried. As does Williams. Her body language isn’t at all positive. Only her second ace of the day gets her to game point. And she’d hit 45 coming into this match. But she then clunks into the net. Deuce. Advantage Halep, break point, which would leave the Romanian serving for her first Wimbledon title. Advantage Williams. But there’s a 24th unforced error. Deuce. Advantage Halep, a second break point. Game and break Halep, with a laser-like backhand down the line! Halep is a game away from becoming a Wimbledon champion!

Second set: *Williams 2-6, 2-4 Halep (*denotes next server)

However Halep has had some nightmares of her own over the years, especially that French Open final of 2017 when she snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Jelena Ostapenko, having led by a set and 3-0. Will she be able to hold serve from here and close this out? There’s no indication yet of any nerves, as Halep confidently comes through to 30. The former world No 1’s still hitting so deep and true.

Second set: Williams 2-6, 2-3 Halep* (*denotes next server)

Williams finds herself in a bit of a hole at 0-30, which becomes even deeper at 15-40. Two break points. Williams looks as if she’s got her spade and will dig herself out of it when she takes complete control of a lengthy rally but, at the net with plenty of the court to aim into, Williams blinks and biffs her backhand long! If Williams loses this match, she’ll be having nightmares about that miss tonight.

Second set: *Williams 2-6, 2-2 Halep (*denotes next server)

But anything Williams can do ... Halep matches the love hold with one of her own, the highlight of which was a wonderful game of cat and mouse, in which Halep shows her cunning with a improvised volley before going on to prevail. She’s still made only three unforced errors. She could probably out-Djokovic Djokovic with the consistency she’s showing this afternoon.

Second set: Williams 2-6, 2-1 Halep* (*denotes next server)

Halep is only the second top-10 player Williams has faced this year, and the step up in class has been telling. But signs here that Williams is steadying herself. Some Hawk-Eye drama on opening point. They’ll replay it. Williams wins through. As she does on the second, third and fourth points. Her second successive love hold after those two successive breaks at the start of the match.

Second set: *Williams 2-6, 1-1 Halep (*denotes next server)

“Coco Gauff is probably feeling a little better about things right now,” parps Stephen Cooper, referring to Halep’s straight-sets win over tennis’s newest star in the fourth round. Halep holds to 30.

Second set: Williams 2-6, 1-0 Halep* (*denotes next server)

Beware a wounded Williams, who roars from the depths of her being when a winning volley gets her to 15-all. She’s going to have to summon all the strength she has to put away the inspired Romanian. She’s upping the intensity of her serve, and takes the opening game of the second set to 30. A vital hold to staunch the flow after that brutal first set.

First set: Williams 2-5 Halep* (*denotes next server)

Williams holds to love to at least ask a question of Halep, who will soon step up to serve for the first set ...

First set: *Williams 1-5 Halep (*denotes next server)

Williams has almost become an honorary Brit what with her link-up with Andy Murray in the mixed doubles this fortnight and the crowd are urging her to get back into this, urging her to haul herself up off the canvas and get closer to that piece of history. She looks to be finding her feet at 15-30 on Halep’s serve, having applauded the Romanian’s winner on the previous point, but Halep has Williams on the run and the 37-year-old makes the error. Deuce. Advantage Williams, a first break point for her after a torrid start. Williams hoiks a forehand wide. Deuce. Advantage Halep. Some hard hitting from Williams, but Halep sees her opponent’s power and raises it with a fizzing forehand winner that leaves Williams absolutely stranded!

First set: Williams 1-4 Halep* (*denotes next server)

Williams puffs out her cheeks after finally getting on the board, with a love hold. She has her head buried in her towel at the changeover, and gets some notes out of her bag. I doubt any of those notes predicted this scenario though.

First set: *Williams 0-4 Halep (*denotes next server)

Five winners for Halep so far and no unforced errors. No winners from Williams and seven unforced errors. And we thought Williams would be the attacking player. Halep’s even out-acing Williams, the tournament ace leader, too, and one here helps her to a 30 hold. This is stunning stuff from the 2018 French Open champion in her first Wimbledon final.

First set: Williams 0-3 Halep* (*denotes next server)

Williams’s footwork is usually the first thing that goes when she’s nervous, it’s as if she’s had a ton of concrete poured into her shoes. And she’s completely rooted to the grass when her serve out wide on break point at 30-40 is bludgeoned away by Halep for a backhand winner. Halep has the double break! Few would have seen this coming.

First set: *Williams 0-2 Halep (*denotes next server)

Much has been said in the build-up about whether we’d see the relaxed Williams of this fortnight or the angst-ridden Williams who can collapse with records in sight. At the moment she looks like a woman who has the weight of history on her shoulders. Halep hurtles to 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, and takes the game when the umpire overrules a call, with Halep’s backhand winner just catching the line. Halep’s claimed eight of the opening 10 points and Williams is reeling.

First set: Williams 0-1 Halep* (*denotes next server)

So up steps Williams to get the 126^th Wimbledon women’s singles final under way. Williams’s serve is the best shot in women’s tennis or, as Martina Navratilova calls it, the weapon of mass destruction. She’ll want to send Halep an early message here. Which she does with an unreturned serve on the first point. But Halep soon finds her groove with a forehand cross-court winner. 15-all. Another unreturned serve makes it 30-15 but two errors from the Williams racket and it’s 30-40, an early break point! A third error and Halep has made the perfect start!

Tik! Tok! Tikity! Tok! They’re warming up. Meanwhile there could be a right royal scrap between duchesses in the Royal Box this afternoon. Halep was asked after her semi-final who she’d most like to watch her today and she said Kate. She’s got her wish. But Meghan is also here, supporting her good friend Serena. Spectators would have probably paid even more for their £185 tickets if they’d known there was the prospect of these two going at each other from opposing corners. Other names in the Royal Box include former champions Martina Navratilova, Virginia Wade, Conchita Martinez and Marion Bartoli, along with Theresa May, who could tell Williams a thing or two about pressure.

The coin toss. Williams has won the first battle and has elected to serve first.

Here they come, weaving and winding their way through the corridors of the All England Club, both presented with bouquets of flowers before they step on to court, as is the pre-final tradition. And they’ve not even won anything yet. They arrive to a spine-tingling standing ovation. Not that Williams fully heard it because she’s got her headphones on. I bet she never tires of these moments even though this is her 11th Wimbledon final.

Halep says: “Of course, I respect a lot what she has done and what she’s doing, but now I feel stronger mentally facing her.

“I think it’s a great feeling to face Serena in a grand slam final. If you are able to win, it makes it sweeter.”

Williams says: “I was calm [in the semi-final]. It’s a day-to-day basis with me. We all know that. I’m far from perfect.

“[Halep] finished the year No 1 twice in a row. I feel like she’s back. She wants to prove that she can do it again. You can’t underestimate her. She’s like a little powerhouse.”

Tactics time. This is a fascinating match-up between the game’s best attacker and best defender. Halep will make Williams run, just as Kerber did so successfully in last year’s Wimbledon final. If Halep gets everything back, she could plant a seed of doubt in Williams’s mind. And if Williams starts doubting herself, we know what can happen. But the crucial difference could be the serve. Halep’s is not as strong as Kerber’s and can be vulnerable against Williams, as shown by the fact Williams has won nine of their previous 10 meetings. And Williams’s serve is the best in the business.

And their fourth-round battle at the Australian Open this year:

Highlights of their 2011 Wimbledon meeting, to get you in the mood:

Road to the final. Both have had an easier time of it than they would have expected. Williams has faced only one top-20 player in Julia Goerges, while Halep has played only one seed, Elina Svitolina, although she did also end the challenge of Coco Gauff and the former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka.

Williams

First round def Giulia Gatto-Monticone 6-2, 7-5

Second round def Kaja Juvan 2-6, 6-2, 6-4

Third round def Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-4

Fourth round def Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2

Quarter-final def Alison Riske 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

Semi-final def Barbora Strycova 6-1, 6-2

Halep

First round def Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 7-5

Second round def Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

Third round def Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-1

Fourth round def Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3

Quarter-final def Shuai Zhang 7-6 (4), 6-1

Semi-final def Elina Svitolina 6-1, 6-3

Tale of the tape.

Williams - Halep

37 Age 27

10 World ranking 7

72 Singles titles 18

7 Wimbledon titles 0

9 Head-to-head 1

“What Williams and Halep both share is a lingering fight with their emotions. Until Halep calmed her outer shell over the past couple of years, she was among the most volatile of competitors on the WTA Tour. Williams, as she admitted on Thursday after her best performance of the tournament – a 59-minute demolition of Barbora Strycova – cannot be sure from day to day how she will handle the pressures and expectations of her calling, even though she is by overwhelming consensus the finest player of her era ... She alternates between handling the responsibilities and rewards of greatness and being consumed by them.”

The words of our tennis correspondent, Kevin Mitchell. You can read his full preview here:

A couple of results already in the wheelchair events: