LONDON (Reuters) - Simona Halep became the first Romanian to win a Wimbledon singles title after she beat seven-times champion Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 in the final on Saturday.

It was Halep’s second Grand Slam title following her triumph at Roland Garros last year.

The result denied Williams from equaling Margaret Court’s all-time record of winning 24 Grand Slam singles titles. </s> Simona Halep won her first Wimbledon title and kept Serena Williams from winning her eighth on Saturday. Halep defeated Williams 6-2, 6-2 on Centre Court for her second major title.

Williams was trying to win her record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title, but she failed in a final for the third time. Williams lost to Angelique Kerber in last year’s Wimbledon final and lost to Naomi Osaka in the championship match at the U.S. Open.

Williams still holds the record for most major singles titles in the professional era with 23, one more than Steffi Graf. But Margaret Court, who won 13 of her Grand Slam singles titles in the amateur era, has 24 overall.

Halep, who won last year’s French Open title, had only three unforced errors to Williams’ 25 in the final. </s> WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Simona Halep was not focused on trying to prevent Serena Williams from winning a 24th Grand Slam title. All Halep cared about was winning Wimbledon for the first time.

Pretty much perfect from start to finish, Halep beat Williams 6-2, 6-2 in stunning fashion in the final at the All England Club on Saturday.

The whole thing took only 56 minutes.

Halep made only three unforced errors, a remarkably low total and 23 fewer than Williams.

This is the third consecutive Grand Slam final lost by Williams as she tries to equal the all-time record with 24 major trophies. She was the runner-up to Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon a year ago. </s> United States’ Serena Williams returns to Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova in a Women’s semifinal singles match on day ten of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Serena Williams goes for her 24th Grand Slam title when she faces Simona Halep in the Wimbledon final. Williams is already a seven-time champion at the All England Club. Halep is appearing in her first final at Centre Court. Her only major championship came at the French Open last year. Williams has beaten Halep nine times in their 10 previous matches. If Williams wins this one, she will equal Margaret Court’s record for most Grand Slam singles titles. But Court won 13 of her major trophies before professionals were admitted to Grand Slam tournaments, while all 23 of Williams’ major titles have come in the Open era, which began in 1968.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; No. 2 Roger Federer beat No. 3 Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

45 — Number of strokes in a point won by Djokovic, the longest on record at Wimbledon, where such stats date to 2005.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You don’t get to a Wimbledon finals playing average, you know.” — Roger Federer talking about having a winning mentality. </s> Simona Halep wins her first Wimbledon title, beating Serena Williams in less than an hour

Simona Halep has beaten Serena Williams to claim her first ever Wimbledon title.

The former World Number One beat the American in straight sets, taking the first 6-2.

She served for the Championship, to make the second 6-2.

If Williams had won, it would have been her eighth Wimbledon title and her 24th Grand Slam.

Despite a strong start in the second set from Williams, the Romanian was able to overcome and won her first grass Grand Slam title.

Halep, 27, also denied Williams the opportunity to equal the record for most Grand Slam titles, currently held by Margaret Court.

The match took less than an hour, and is one of the shortest finals ever played.

Halep has recently spoken of enjoying playing on grass. Her only other Grand Slam title came from the French Open last year, played on clay.

She has not previously been a fan of grass, but found her game at this year's Wimbledon. In the semi-finals she saw off Elina Svitolina, losing just four games.

The ladies' final was attended by dozens of celebrities as well as Williams' close friend, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.

She sat alongside her sister-in-law Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge.

Also spotted in the stands were Jodie Whittaker, Aidan Turner, Lily James, Gill Brook and Theresa May, enjoying her last Wimbledon as Prime Minister.

For Williams, it's the second year in a row she's made it to the Wimbledon final and been beaten - losing to Angelique Kerber last year.

After the match, Williams said Halep "literally played out of her mind".

She said: "It was a little bit 'deer in the headlights' for me. Whenever someone plays like that you just have to take your hat off and nod your head."

Williams has not played any matches before Wimbledon and teamed up with former world number one Andy Murray to get more matches in the mixed doubles.

Halep was asked if she ever played a better match than that, and said: "Never."

She said: "I came on court and gave my best.

"It's something very special and I will never forget this day. It was my mum's dream that I would play the final of Wimbledon - thanks to my parents."

Paying tribute to her opponent, she said: "It was the best match and Serena always inspired us. I have worked a lot for this moment, it is hard to explain so I feel great."

Speaking about her new love for grass, Halep said she did lots of work to change her game to adapt for grass courts.

She said: "It was an amazing year, an amazing tournament, I can't wait to come back."

Halep said she had hoped she would see the Duchess of Cambridge, and admitted she was "excited" to meet the royals after, having been unaware she would be greeted by the family after the match.

Halep made just three unforced errors throughout the match, while Williams racked up 26.

It's the third consecutive Grand Slam final Williams has lost with the record-equalling target in her mind. She lost Naomi Osaka in the US Open last September.

She has not won a tournament since the 2017 Australian Open, when she was pregnant. She took a year off the tour after Olympia was born, and has dealt with injuries since her return.

Tennis great Billie Jean King tweeted: "Congratulations to @Simona_Halep on a tremendous win. One of the most perfectly executed matches I've ever seen. She's Romania's first-ever singles champion! Incredible tennis." </s> Simona Halep has stunned Serena Williams to claim her maiden Wimbledon title with a 6-2 6-2 demolition of the American that stunned the tennis world.

After taking the opening set in just 26 minutes it appeared Williams was set to make more of a contest of the second but at 2-2 Halep got what would prove the decisive break.

"Simply irresistible - Williams is in real trouble now," Sam Smith said on commentary and co-commentator Tracy Austin agreed.

"She is in the zone, it's like Halep is there before Serena even hits it," Austin said.

Halep then went on to hold and break Williams again before serving the match out in just 56 minutes to claim her second career slam title, to go with her 2018 French Open.

The win makes Halep the first Romanian player to win Wimbledon, eclipsing the great Ilie Nastase, who made the final in London in both 1972 and 1976.

For Williams it was another crushing defeat in a grand slam final, as she again tried in vain to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 major titles.

She has now lost her last three slam finals: the 2018 Wimbledon final to Angelique Kerber, the 2018 US Open final to Naomi Osaka and this Wimbledon decider to Halep.

Williams was never really in the match and admitted to being a "deer in the headlights" in her on court interview post-match.

Williams started the match looking nervous and Halep broke the American in her opening two service games as Williams committed multiple unforced errors.

Halep then rattled through the first set in 26 minutes as commentator Sam Smith opined "this wasn't in the script".

She was right - but it was entertaining and from Halep one of the best displays of tennis of her career.

Asked on court after the match if she had played better, Halep had a resounding answer.

"Never," she said. "It was the best match - I have worked a lot for this moment. I have no words to explain, I feel great."

And so she should, the performance was almost flawless.

Early on Halep would hold for a 4-0 lead in the first set before Williams finally steadied to hold serve at 1-4 - the first set though was gone in the blink of an eye.

The second was just the same and it was bizarre to see one of the greats of the game unable to do anything about the performance of her opponent.

John McEnroe described the Romanian's performance as "unbelievable" before comparing it to his 1984 6-1 6-1 6-2 annihilation of Jimmy Connors in the men's final.

"There's literally five matches or less that you feel like you're in the zone from start to finish and that was one of them," McEnroe said before being asked if it was like his '84 masterpiece.

"It does bring back some memories and it does feel unbelievably good and that's why you won't be able to get that smile off her face for the next month." </s> LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - Round-up of day 12 at the Wimbledon championships on Saturday:

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I had I think the hardest match today against Venus, she is such an incredible player. I grew up watching her play, so it was incredible to play (her in) the final... Two years ago I lost in the final to Serena and she told me one day I was going to maybe win and hey, two years after here I am." -- Garbine Muguruza after beating Venus Williams 7-5 6-0 to win her first Wimbledon singles crown on Saturday.

FACT OF THE DAY: Muguruza is the first player to beat both Venus and Serena Williams in grand slam finals. She beat Serena in the final of the French Open in 2016.

STATISTIC OF THE DAY: Muguruza is only the second Spanish woman to win a Wimbledon singles title. The first was her coach at Wimbledon this year, Conchita Martinez, who won it in 1994.

PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Muguruza showed tremendous class and poise to pull away from Venus and win her maiden Wimbledon singles title. After saving two set points at 5-4 down in the first set, the Spaniard won nine games in a row to take it 7-5 and bagel her opponent in the second. (Compiled by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Rex Gowar) </s> Garbiñe Muguruza won her first Wimbledon title by overcoming Venus Williams in a women's final that was marked by long rallies and creative shotmaking in a gripping first set. Williams was unable to take advantage of early chances against Spain's Muguruza — who only grew more accurate and confident as the match progressed.

It's the second Grand Slam win for Muguruza, 23, who defeated Serena Williams in last year's French Open. Saturday's win comes two years after she lost on Wimbledon's Center Court to Serena Williams.

"Well done today. Beautiful," Venus Williams said on the court after the match, congratulating Muguruza. She added that she hopes to have more chances to add to her Grand Slam titles.

"I grew up watching her play, so it was incredible" to play her in the Wimbledon final, Muguruza said. For the record, when Williams turned pro in 1994, Muguruza was around 1.

At age 37, Williams lost a chance both to win her sixth Wimbledon singles title and to become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era. She won in women's doubles at this tournament last year, playing alongside her sister Serena.

This had been expected to be a close, tight match, and for most of the first set, it lived up to its billing. But Williams wasn't able to win a game in the second set.

Both players held their serves through the match's first 10 games — including a key save by Muguruza, who escaped the first break point for either player to keep it even at 3-3. In the next game, Williams successfully defended her own break point.

Williams finally faltered in the 11th game, hitting a shot long after a spirited rally to give Muguruza a 6-5 advantage that cleared the way for her to take the first set, 7-5. That was after Williams squandered two set points of her own against Muguruza's serve.

Williams unraveled from the start of the second set, losing on her serve to get into an 0-1 hole against Muguruza. Williams then sprayed unforced errors around the court in the next game, and despite recovering with some inspired shotmaking, she only won two points to create a 2-0 deficit. Muguruza then broke Williams' serve again in short order, taking control, 3-0.

By the end, Williams had hit into five double-faults and notched 24 unforced errors to Muguruza's 11.

The second set was over in a blur, with Muguruza hammering accurate shots and Williams struggling to regain any sense of momentum. Williams was able to save two championship points — but she lost on a challenge by her opponent, who successfully argued that Williams' backhand to the baseline had landed long.

Muguruza had reached this final with the help of her play at the net — she won 18 of the 24 points in which she approached the net in the semifinal. Against Williams, she created pressure from the baseline, using her forehand to move Williams around the court. And in response to some of Williams' ventures to the net, Muguruza was able to use an accurate backhand to foil the American.

The men's title will be decided Sunday, when Roger Federer will face Marin Cilic of Croatia. </s> Garbiñe Muguruza won her first Wimbledon title by overcoming Venus Williams in a women's final that was marked by long rallies and creative shotmaking in a gripping first set. Williams was unable to take advantage of early chances against Spain's Muguruza — who only grew more accurate and confident as the match progressed.

It's the second Grand Slam win for Muguruza, 23, who defeated Serena Williams in last year's French Open. Saturday's win comes two years after she lost on Wimbledon's Center Court to Serena Williams.

"Well done today, beautiful," Venus Williams said on the court after the match, congratulating Muguruza. She added that she hopes to have more chances to add to her Grand Slam titles.

"I grew up watching her play, so it was incredible" to play her in the Wimbledon final, Muguruza said. For the record, when Williams turned pro in 1994, Muguruza was around one year old.

At age 37, Williams lost a chance both to win her sixth Wimbledon singles title and to become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era. She won in women's doubles at this tournament last year, playing alongside her sister Serena, who's in the final trimester of her pregnancy.

This had been expected to be a close, tight match, and for most of the first set, it lived up to its billing. But Williams wasn't able to win a game in the second set.

Both players held their serves through the match's first 10 games — including a key save by Muguruza, who escaped the first break point for either player to keep it even at 3-3. In the next game, Williams successfully defended her own break point.

Williams finally faltered in the eleventh game, hitting a shot long after a spirited rally to give Muguruza a 6-5 advantage that cleared the way for her to take the first set, 7-5. That was after Williams squandered two set points of her own against Muguruza's serve.

Williams unraveled from the start of the second set, losing on her serve to get into an 0-1 hole against Muguruza. Williams then sprayed unforced errors around the court in the next game, and despite recovering with some inspired shotmaking, she only won two points to create a 2-0 deficit. Muguruza then broke Williams' serve again in short order, taking control, 3-0.

By the end, Williams had hit into five double faults and notched 24 unforced errors to Muguruza's 11.

The second set was over in a blur, with Muguruza hammering accurate shots and Williams struggling to regain any sense of momentum. Williams was able to save two championship points — but she lost on a challenge by her opponent, who successfully argued that Williams' backhand to the baseline had landed long.

Muguruza had reached this final with the help of her play at the net — she won 18 of the 24 points in which she approached the net in the semifinal. Against Williams, she created pressure from the baseline, using her forehand to move Williams around the court. And in response to some of Williams' ventures to the net, Muguruza was able to use an accurate backhand to foil the American.

The men's title will be decided on Sunday, when Roger Federer will face Marin Cilic of Croatia.
Simona Halep defeats Serena Williams (6–2, 6–2) to win the 2019 Wimbledon women's singles championship, her first Wimbledon victory and her second Grand Slam singles title. Williams was attempting to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.