From the International Tennis Federation – Serena Williams (USA) defeated Maria Sharapova (RUS) 6-0, 6-1 in 63 minutes to win the women’s singles gold medal at the Olympic Tennis Event on Saturday. This was the fewest games in a women’s singles final in the history of the Olympic Tennis Event. The previous shortest final was at 1920 Antwerp, when Suzanne Lenglen (FRA) defeated Dorothy Holman (GBR) 6-3 6-0.
Serena Williams dropped 17 games in her six matches to win women’s singles gold. Suzanne Lenglen lost the fewest games of any Olympic women’s singles champion, dropping four games in five matches to win the 1920 title.
Serena Williams has dropped a total of five games in the three Olympic finals she has won: 2000 Sydney doubles (with Venus Williams), 2008 Beijing doubles (with Venus Williams) and 2012 London singles.
Serena and Venus Williams both now have three Olympic gold medals, the record for any women in the Olympic Tennis Event. The Williams sisters are now bidding to become the first players, men or women, to win four Olympic tennis gold medals. They play Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova (RUS) in the women’s doubles semifinals later on Saturday.