Venus Williams staged a remarkable fightback against Lindsay Davenport to claim her third Wimbledon crown, 4-6 7-6 9-7, after a two hour and 45-minute epic, the longest final in history.
Davenport, who sustained an injury in the final set was forced to return to the locker room for treatment.
The world number 1, who had served for the match in the second set, returned but was clearly in pain and it was only a matter of time before she succumbed.
Williams, champion in 1999 and 2000, faced Championship point in a nerve-wracking final set but maintained her focus to claim her first Grand Slam title since the US Open five years ago.
It enabled her to become only the third woman in Wimbledon history to win a singles final from match point down.
Williams dropped a set for the first time in the Championships but recovered superbly to play her best tennis and make a mockery of her 14th seeding.
