Her Serena Highness

What am I doing here? Serena Williams asked herself in the middle of the championship tie breaker that would help her make history, allow her to fulfill her father's predictions and alter her relationship with her older sister. It was a moment of doubt. But being 17, she dismissed it quickly--just as swiftly as she recovered from the nervousness that tripped up two earlier chances to win the title outright in her match against Martina Hingis. Serena's prevailing ethos reasserted itself: she doesn't lose tie breakers. She hasn't lost one all year. The rule held. She won.

And so Serena Williams was transformed. On Saturday evening in New York City, she became the first African American to win a tennis Grand Slam singles title since Arthur Ashe won Wimbledon in 1975, and the first African-American woman to win the U.S. Open since Althea Gibson in 1958. As a historymaker, Serena transfigured her family as well. She, her sister Venus and their father Richard were no longer the loudest mouths on the tennis circuit. She had shown the world that her father was not just some voice crying in the wilderness but a true prophet. He had long predicted his daughters would dominate the world of women's tennis. Daddy did know best.

With her titanic 6-3, 7-6 victory over the wily Hingis last week, Serena, in her third year as a professional, also proved that she was no longer a bratty wannabe with a tendency to feud with other players: if she is ever cocky in the future, well, that's just a champion's confidence showing. Even her relationship with Hingis (with whom she has exchanged sharp words in the press) was different after the victory. Never one to admit weakness, Serena acknowledged Hingis' prowess and her ability to take advantage of her whenever she "slacked off." And Hingis returned the favor. Serena's serves, she said, "were, like, smacking."

One change in Serena's life, however, will keep tennis fans glued to the little things that go bump on courtside and off. Venus, 19, was supposed to have been the first in the family to become a Grand Slam singles champ. Two years ago, Venus reached the finals of the U.S. Open only to lose badly to Hingis. She had come so close again this year but lost to Hingis in a ferocious semifinal the night before, perhaps wearing out the No. 1-ranked player enough to help Serena win on Saturday. Said Serena: "Venus was so bummed...and that encouraged me to be even tougher out there." Still, on victory Saturday, as her parents exulted in the stands, the camera panned to a wistful Venus staring straight ahead, betraying no strong emotion. Later, Serena said, "I've never seen her that down before."