Djokovic Wins French Open, S. Williams Takes Second in Women's Final

A French Open champion at long last, and the first man in nearly a half-century to win four consecutive major championships, Novak Djokovic grabbed a racket and etched a heart in the very red clay that had given him such heartache in the past.

Then, when he finally was handed the La Coupe des Mousquetaires -- the one trophy he truly yearned for, the one he needed in order to complete his career Grand Slam -- Djokovic held it overhead, his eyes shut, before kissing it, exhaling and smiling broadly.

In his 12th appearance at Roland Garros, and fourth final, the top-seeded Djokovic earned that elusive title, casting aside a shaky opening set to dominate the rest of the way in a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 2 Andy Murray on Sunday, buoyed by a supportive crowd that repeatedly chanted his nickname, "No-le!"

"It's really a very special moment," Djokovic said, "perhaps the greatest moment of my career."

Since losing the 2015 final in Paris, Djokovic has won 28 Grand Slam matches in a row, from Wimbledon and the US Open last year, to the Australian Open in January, and now, at long last, the French.

Serena Williams Fails In Title Match

No. 22 will have to wait. Again. For the third consecutive Grand Slam event, Serena Williams failed to tie Steffi Graf's Open-era record as she lost 7-5, 6-4 to fourth-seeded Garbine Muguruza at the French Open on Saturday.

In winning her first major, Muguruza used her powerful groundstrokes to keep No. 1 Williams off-balance and overcame signs of nerves in the form of nine double-faults to pull off the surprise.

Muguruza also managed to deal with Williams' dangerous serve, breaking three consecutive times from late in the first set to early in the second en route to beating Williams for the second time in three years at Roland Garros. In 2014, she handed Williams the worst loss of her Grand Slam career with a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the second round.

After letting four match points slip away in the penultimate game, Muguruza served out the match at love, punctuated by a high lob that caught the baseline as Williams watched.

The winning shot drew a smile from Williams' face and she applauded Muguruza, who put her face in her hands and fell on her back in the red clay of Court Philippe Chatrier as her coach Sam Sumyk jumped from his chair and raised both arms in the air.