Serena pips Venus to win her second WTA Championships

Wasn't expecting to win due to lack of match practice, says Serena on beating Venus in Doha

Wasn't expecting to win due to lack of match practice, saysu00a0 Serena on beating Venus in Doha

Serena Williams won her second career WTA Championships title yesterday with a commanding 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory over sister Venus, a triumph which earned her a cool 1.55 million dollars.

Serena Williams hits a forehand winner against sister Venus in the WTA Championships final in Doha yesterday. pic/afp

Serena, who will finish the season as World No 1, also won the trophy in 2001, making her just the second player after Justine Henin in 2007 to capture two Grand Slam titles as well as the WTA Championship in the same year.

Serena won all five matches at this event, including a group stage win over defending champion Venus, and such was her dominance in Sunday's final that she gave up just seven points on serve.

The 85-minute romp was her 13th victory in 23 meetings with her sister, a family rivalry stretching back to 1998.

Fantastic feeling
"It feels fantastic. I definitely wasn't expecting to win when I came here because I hadn't been practicing very well," said Serena.

"I kept fighting against a really tough player but Venus kept hitting the ball back. That's never easy and it's really frustrating."

Venus, who also lost her Wimbledon title to Serena this year, said she did all she could in the final.

"I gave 100 per cent. It's the end of the season. It's been a good week and I have no complaints. Serena played a great match. She didn't make many errors," said Venus.

With the last of her 41 career titles coming nine months ago, it will be little consolation for the 29-year-old that she will end 2009 at six in the world, up from seven.

In a symbol of this injury-hit, desert money-spinner, which had seen four players end their campaigns prematurely through various aches and pains, both sisters arrived on court nursing knocks.

Serena had her left thigh heavily-strapped while Venus had protection on her left knee which was treated several times during her semi-final win over Jelena Jankovic.

Advantage Serena
But Serena was the fresher of the two in the first set, a legacy of having spent three and a half hours less on court than her sister in reaching this stage.

Breaks in the third and seventh games gave the new World No 1 the opening set.

Serve dominated the second set before Serena stretched to a 5-2 lead in the tie-breaker. An ace set up match point and the title was secured with a crunching forehand winner.

Victory the 35th title of her career added to Serena's capture of the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles in 2009.