Serena Williams wins her 19th career Grand Slam title in dramatic fashion over Maria Sharapova

MELBOURNE – There was a moment there, at 2-2 in the second set of an Australian Open women’s singles final that was inching dangerously close to being competitive, when Serena Williams decided to raise the level a notch – or four.

Down love-30 after Maria Sharapova read a first serve and hit a world-class inside-out forehand return, Williams responded with a 198 km/hour ace. And a “C’MAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!”

She followed that ace up with another down the T, and another  “C’MAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!”.

Then an unreturned serve and, you guessed it, a third “C’MAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!”

If the message weren’t clear enough, Williams held her serve with a 192 km/hour serve out wide to the backhand corner, another "C’MAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!”, a little staredown in Sharapova’s direction and a look to her camp.

The exhortations and the self-urging and the fist pumps came fast and furiously after that, from both sides of this ferociously-contested final. It was loud enough that Sharapova’s infamous grunts nearly got lost in the cacophony – and not in a bad way.

But again, just as it has every time they’ve met going back more than a decade, there was just too much Serena for Sharapova to handle in a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win that earned Williams her 19th major title.

Williams tied tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with her 18th Grand Slam victory at the U.S. Open last September. Now, only Steffi Graf (with 22) stands ahead of her on the all-time list in the Open era.

Given how poorly she has felt, struck down by a chest cold that left her short of breath and endurance and even forced her to delay the return to play after a brief rain stoppage to leave the court for a coughing fit, – and vomiting – it would be hard to think she won’t get there. Soon.

Williams has now won the last 15 matches between the two. But this one was special from beginning to end, when superb champion’s and runner-up’s speeches from both women capped a great night for women’s tennis.

“I’ve been through so much in the past week, I really didn’t expect to win. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the final here, or the semifinal. It’s been a long time coming. I was just really elated to have the opportunity to walk out for the final match,” Williams said.

There’s something to be said for 17-year-olds no longer winning major titles. At 33 and 27, respectively, veterans of the tennis battlefield and both polish by brilliant victories and scarred by devastating defeats, their presence and perspective in a spotlight moment was the finest ambassadorship women’s tennis could ask for.

Williams spoke of her humble beginnings, and the rewards.

Williams then doubled her planned donation to the MND Foundation, which raises awareness and money to help find a cure for motor neurone disease. She originally had planed to donate $100 per ace. Now, she’ll give $200.

The American opened the match with a break, and it seemed it might go the way of most of the encounters between the two in a rivalry that has been compelling in its one-sidedness.

With Williams serving at 3-2, 30-all, there was a nearly 13-minute break when the rain began to fall. The roof over Rod Laver Arena was closed, but the ball kids had to mop up what had already fallen.

Williams returned to the court coughing. And then she abruptly left for a few more minutes for, other matters. “I guess there's a first time for anything. I think in a way that just helped me – I felt better after that. My chest was really stuck at that point,” Williams said about the mid-match vomiting. “The doctor gave me a little cough syrup and sent me on my way.”

These were hardly ideal circumstances to pick up the match again, especially as Sharapova had just created a bit of a toehold.

With no warmup, Williams cranked a 191 km/hour serve on the first point, and then an enormous forehand winner to consolidate her service break.

That was the first set, basically The second set proved a lot more complicated, and the decibel level from both players reflected it.

On the first match point, Sharapova hit a gutsy forehand down the line to save it, which earned a racquet clap from Williams.

On the second match point in the second-set tiebreaker, Sharapova went for a risky second serve clocked at 159 km/hour, and hit another forehand down the line with little to no margin.

On the third match point, Williams hit a massive serve out side to the ad court. The speed and location of this serve, with Williams being 5-foot-9 at most, continues to be a marvel of geometry that defies explanation.

It was called a let. Williams dropped her racquet in disbelief.

In response, she did it again, 198 km/hour in the same spot.

“After the let I thought, “Man, I am not meant to win this tournament. Then I just tossed and served, as hard as I could,” she said.

“I like setting up those situations. I like the battle. I do. I mean, it's frustrating to be the one going home, as I said, with the small trophy. But I do love the battle. I love high-quality tennis. I love being part of it,” Sharapova said.

Williams had enough energy left to hop like a delighted kangaroo around the court, and hop and skip over to the players’ box where her support team, agent, and friends were waiting to welcome her. It one of the better on-court celebrations. They were two of the better post-match speeches ever. And it was one of the more compelling Grand Slam women’s singles finals in recent memory.

Williams thanked the Melbourne crowd for their constant and unwavering support of her. She fully deserves, but doesn’t always get, that kind of support – particularly at home, as has been well-documented. But she feels perfectly at home on the other side of the world.