Summary
Serena Williams ended a three-year title drought and donated her winner's check to victims of the Australian bushfires in an emotional WTA Auckland Classic final Sunday.
Williams raised expectations for this month's Australian Open, where she can equal Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles, with her 6-3, 6-4 victory -- her first WTA trophy since she won in Melbourne in 2017 .
It is Williams' first title since 2017 -- and her first as a mother -- since she won the Australian Open while pregnant.
Pegula, who has only one title to her credit, had stunned former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki -- a close friend of Williams -- in a three-set semifinal, winning every game in the deciding set.
...