Venus downs Serena to win fifth title

By Pritha Sarkar

LONDON (Reuters) - Venus Williams survived a fierce onslaught from Serena Williams to win her fifth Wimbledon singles title on Saturday, finally subduing her younger sister 7-5 6-4.

Venus fought back from a break down in both sets to trump her sister in high-quality contest on a windswept Centre Court.

A scooped backhand wide from Serena handed Venus victory following an absorbing battle lasting one hour and 51 minutes.

In her moment of triumph, a beaming Venus quickly ran to the net to offer her sibling a consolation embrace.

"I can't believe it's five. But when you're in the final against Serena Williams, five seems so far away. She played so awesome, it was really a test," the 28-year-old American said after successfully defending her title.

"It's so rewarding to perform here and that everytime I come back here I have the ultimate chance to play well and make history."

The American siblings met in a grand slam showpiece for the seventh time although the last time they clashed in a major final was at Wimbledon five years ago when Serena won a subdued battle against an unfit Venus.

Saturday's victory also allowed Venus to gain some sweet revenge. She had beaten Serena at the 2001 U.S. Open but lost the five finals since and trailed their overall head-to-heads 7-8.