Press hail Williamses after Wimbledon final

Sunday newspapers did not pretend to be entralled by the Wimbledon ladies' final which saw Serena Williams take her third title after beating her sister Venus.

But despite disappointment that the two-set match had failed to catch light, commentators praised the relentless power and consistency of the pair from the tough Los Angeles neighbourhood of Compton.

"All that saved this Wimbledon final from descending into a tedious monument to the one-paced predictability that grips women's tennis was, as ever, the athletic integrity of the Williams sisters," the Observer said.

The paper said the pair "belong to a generation of programmed baseline bullies... but that does not make the spectacle any easier on the eye."

The Mail on Sunday said the contest had "rarely scaled the heights," adding: "Power they both do well. But subtlety? Not a lot."

Meanwhile, the Sunday Express dubbed the final a "demolition show".

The Mail said that Serena's post-match criticism of a ranking system which places Dinara Safina as world number one had "soured her Wimbledon triumph" and "lowered the tone".

But the Observer hailed both sisters, adding: "For both players to come from not only the same area but the same family is utterly remarkable.

"And for that area to be Compton is beyond Disney".