Garbine Muguruza stormed to her first Wimbledon title and shattered Venus Williams' history bid with a majestic 7-5, 6-0 victory in Saturday's final.
Muguruza overwhelmed Williams with a supreme display of power hitting in 77 minutes on Centre Court to become only the second Spanish woman to win Wimbledon.
Watched from the Royal Box by King Juan Carlos of Spain, the 23-year-old finally got her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish two years after losing to the American's sister Serena in her maiden Wimbledon final.
Fittingly, it was Muguruza's current coach Conchita Martinez who was the first woman to raise the Spanish flag at Wimbledon in 1994 when she defeated Martina Navratilova.
Venezuela-born Muguruza's second Grand Slam title, following her French Open triumph last year, denied Williams, 37, in her attempt to become the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open era.
Back in the Wimbledon final after an eight-year absence, Williams had hoped to clinch a sixth All England Club title, nine years after she last lifted the trophy.
Instead, she paid the price for a surprisingly nerve-ridden display that condemned her to a second Grand Slam disappointment this year following her Australian Open final loss against Serena.
Since winning her maiden Grand Slam title in Paris, Muguruza had endured something of a sophomore slump as her ranking dropped out of the top 10.
But she has rediscovered her mojo on grass and will climb to fifth when the new rankings are confirmed next week.
Remarkably, of her four tour-level titles, two are now Grand Slams.
Twenty years ago, Venus admitted she was a bundle of nerves when she made a losing Wimbledon debut against Magdalena Grzybowska and, in her ninth All England Club final, once again there was anxiety coursing through her error-strewn display.
Fortified by a cross-court winner to bring up break point at 3-2, Williams looked poised to seize control, but instead a tame forehand into the net to let Muguruza off the hook.
Gifted two set point at 4-5, Venus couldn't deliver the knockout blow and Muguruza over-powered her in a gripping rally to save the first before scrambling out of trouble on the second.
Williams was rattled by Muguruza's barrage, fatally allowing the Spaniard's lob to drop in and present her with set points that she gleefully gobbled up.
Muguruza was just six when Venus first won Wimbledon and the 23-year-old's third major final appearance was dwarfed by Williams' 16 Grand Slam title matches.
But in all those finals, only Serena had produced the lethal power and poise Muguruza was showing and suddenly Williams was beginning to look her age.
Still reeling from the shock of losing the first set, she served up a limp double fault on break point to hand Muguruza the lead at the start of the second set.
Williams was shattered and Muguruza went for the kill so ruthlessly that in the blink of an eye she had broken twice more to take a 5-0 lead.
Muguruza had spoken eloquently this week of etching her name onto the Wimbledon honours board alongside Venus, Serena and the other All England Club icons.
It took one last blizzard of thunderous winners to ensure her dream would come true.
‘It’s just an incredible feeling’
"I had the hardest match today against Venus. She's such an incredible player and I grew up watching her play...sorry," Muguruza told the Centre Court crowd.
"I feel incredible to be able to play Venus here. Of course I'm nervous because I always dreamed about winning it, but I was composed," she said.
"Two years ago I lost in the final against Serena and she told me I was going to win."
Muguruza was coached at Wimbledon by Conchita Martinez, the first Spanish woman to lift the trophy at the All England Club in 1994.
Martinez was standing in for Sam Sumyk who sat out Wimbledon to stay at home with his pregnant wife.
When asked if she had a message for Sumyk, Muguruza lifted the trophy towards the TV camera.
"Here it is," she said.
Williams, playing in her ninth Wimbledon final, had two set points in the opening set.
However, she was unable to convert them and Muguruza won all of the remaining nine games of the final.
"Congratulations Garbine. I know how hard you work and I'm sure this means so much to you and your family," said the American.
"Thanks to my team who have been here day in and day out."
She also spared a thought for sister Serena, the seven-time champion at Wimbledon, who did not defend her title this year as she prepares to give birth to her first baby next month.
"I miss Serena," said Williams.
"I tried my best to do the things you do –– but I think there will be other opportunities."
