By Caroline Cheese BBC Sport Online at Wimbledon

After all the worry about a Wimbledon final where the protagonists wanted each other to win as much as themselves, Williams v Williams actually turned out to be a rather entertaining affair.

A classic encounter was probably too much to hope for.

But given the poor quality of the past fortnight in the women's singles, the sisters can justifiably claim to have produced one of the best of the tournament.

Both players even did passing impressions of actually wanting to win.

Serena pumped her fist as she marched towards victory while Venus emitted a Hewitt-style "C'mon" when she finally succeeded with a passing shot.

The crowd were clearly delighted, and not a little surprised.

Expecting little more than an exhibition match, they actually witnessed a genuine sporting spectacle featuring the two best exponents of women's tennis.

Admittedly, the atmosphere was still strangely subdued for a Wimbledon final, a stark contrast to the emotionally-charged tension from Friday's match between Tim Henman and Lleyton Hewitt.

Roar of approval

The chants were not for one player or the other, but for USA, and bursts of applause greeted great rallies rather than great winners.

But there was a roar of approval greeted Serena's moment of triumph, not because another stale family affair was at an end, but her tennis in a tightly-fought contest had been simply breathtaking.

At the end of the French Open final, Venus had jostled and laughed among the bank of photographers as she tried to get her own shot of baby sis with the trophy.

The crowd loved the moment, but there was something quite unsettling about watching the culmination of a sporting event when the loser did not seem to care.

Thankfully, this final was different.

Venus downcast

While Venus managed a smile for the BBC cameras, the 21-year-old was clearly devastated that her beloved Wimbledon title had been snatched away from her.

She was happy for Serena to prevail in Paris, but Wimbledon was the domain in which the balance of power was hers, or so she thought.

Her demeanour in the post-match press conference said it all - shoulders hunched, eyes downcast, she could barely raise a smile and it changed little when she returned to play doubles later in the afternoon.

Serena, meanwhile, wore the smile of a champion, of a player who had produced her best tennis when it counted.

She had prevailed in a match with her sister which, for once, had lived up to its billing as a Championship final.