It's been more than 20 years since tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams [1] began their march toward history. To date, the Williams sisters have collectively won 122 singles titles and 30 Grand Slams [2], a streak that began on Sept. 11, 1999, when Serena defeated top-seeded Martina Hingis in the finals of the US Open.
The match marked Serena's first appearance in a major final, and though she was ranked seventh in the tournament — and had won four out of six matches to that point in a hard-fought third set [3] — she quickly took control. Hingis, who had defeated three-seed Venus in the semifinals, struggled to overcome the younger Williams sister's power and speed. Serena took the first set 6-3, then quickly went up 5-3 in the second set. While Hingis was able to fight back and force a tiebreak, it was Serena who ultimately came out on top.
At 17 years old, Serena became the first Black woman to win a Grand Slam title since Althea Gibson [4] in 1958. Now, decades later, she's the oldest woman to win a major [5], and with 23 Grand Slam titles to her name, Serena is just one championship away from tying the all-time record held by Australian player Margaret Court [6]. The joy she felt that day so many years ago? It was only the beginning. Watch Serena's winning moment in the video above, and keep scrolling to see more photos.