The talented and tenacious Williams sisters showed why they were so highly regarded by the bookmakers in the 2009 Australian Open. When the hard-hitting sisters get it right, they are the team to beat. In the year’s first Grand Slam, the sisters got it right and pounded Japan’s Ai Sugiyama and Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-3.

The American team used big serves and big returns to keep the Sugiyama-Hantuchova team off balance throughout the first set. Sugiyama was consistently caught behind the baseline and her improved net play was barely a factor in the opening set.

The win marked the third Australian Women’s Doubles Championship for the sister team and left the filled house wondering if any woman’s team could beat dynamic duo. Although starting slowly and losing Venus’s serve in game one, the Americans stormed back. Once they took the net, the complexion of the match changed quickly.

It was clear that the Williams sisters did not want Hantuchova’s powerful ground strokes to decide the match. In a reversal of roles, Daniela was too, often caught at net while Sugiyama covered the baseline. Meanwhile, the Americans cut volleys off and blasted net winners that had Sugiyama reeling.

Unlike most world class singles players, the Williams sisters seem to relish playing together. They congratulate each other, hold numerous on-court strategy meetings and feed off the other’s successes. Watching the sisters play is like watching well choreographed theater. They are always on the same page, in the right spot, their movements synchronized perfectly and their focus intact. These ladies know how to win and never lose sight of that goal.

Venus Williams did not have her best serve working in the finals, but her net play controlled the tempo. She never stood still and always seemed to be moving into the ball.

With the score tied at 1-1 in the second set, all four players lost their serves. Sugiyama lost a second service game to go down 3-4. Serena calmly held to put the sisters ahead at 5-3 with Hantuchova serving. The Williams’s then pounded returns that drove Sugiyama off the net. The crowd was shocked with the Americans’ efficiency. In the second set, every service game was in doubt.

Serena and Venus converted on six of eight break point opportunities and won 64 total points compared to 48 by Sugiyama and Hantuchova. The tenth seeded Williams sisters won 71% of their firsts serves compared to a disappointing 46% by the ninth seeds.

The championship is the eighth Grand Slam Doubles Championship by the Williams’s and will certainly elevate their seeding for upcoming events. They have only played in the French Open once, winning that title in 1999. Both players seemed to enjoy the doubles with Serena saying that doubles play improved her singles play.

It is amazing that the sisters have never been ranked higher than sixth in their sterling careers. Most players on the tour recognize the Venus and Serena act as a tough match to win and the least desired matchup in any tournament. The finals was played at the Rod Laver Arena and with temperatures continuing to reach record daytime highs, the roof was closed. Serena and Venus remain undefeated under the covered court.