Serena Williams completes Golden Slam, beating Maria Sharapova in Olympic gold-medal match

WIMBLEDON, England – Serena Williams has cheerfully talked about how much she's enjoyed her week here during the London Games. No longer is the All-England Club all-white. Its pomp and circumstance have been painted over with a splash of bright colors. The crowds have been louder and the tennis brisk and entertaining. In a word, Williams said, her Olympics experience has been fun.

And, yet, when Williams took the court for her gold-medal match against Russia's Maria Sharapova, there was nothing cheerful about her performance. It was the type of brutish dominance tennis fans have long been accustomed to watching. Sharapova never stood a chance, as Williams blasted her way to a 6-0, 6-1 victory that took all of 62 minutes, making her the first woman to complete the career Golden Slam since Steffi Graf.

[ Photos: Serena Williams crushes Sharapova to win gold ]

Williams blistered one more serve past Sharapova to close out the match, raised her arms in triumph then began hopping around the court in celebration. Her victory comes just one month on the same Centre Court on which she won Wimbledon.

Sharapova still hasn’t beaten Williams since 2004, a string of eight consecutive losses. Williams dominated the match, once again overwhelming Sharapova with her power and athleticism. Sharapova didn't win her first game until the she was already down 6-0, 3-0.

The match was so one-sided that after Sharapova lost a point in the final game, a fan shouted, "I still want to marry you, Maria!"

One this day, however, like so many over the years at Wimbledon, Williams walked off as the queen of grass.

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