The celebration began with a series of happy hops that propelled Serena Williams across the court. Soon she was twirling, waving, laughing and mugging for the cameras — a familiar ritual by a perennial champion.
Williams won a record seventh Key Biscayne title Saturday when she overcame a slow start and a set point to beat Li Na 7-5, 6-1 at the Sony Open. She surpassed the tournament record of six titles she shared with Andre Agassi.
"I was actually super excited at the end," Williams said, "because I remember sitting here last year trying to get to six, thinking, 'OK, obviously I want seven, but I don't want to put the pressure on myself to get to seven.' Obviously I wanted to have the most titles here."
The No. 1-ranked Williams looked tense at the outset and served poorly, and she was broken twice to fall behind 5-2.
