Venus Williams finally got what she needed. Bridling at Wimbledon tradition, she coltishly bounded into the crowd, scrambled up the seating and embraced the sister she had reluctantly brought to tears in the semi-final.

Her amiable, crazy father Richard wept into a towel and jigged on the roof of the NBC commentary box to end two weeks of unbroken promises. One of his daughters would win Wimbledon and both would dominate the game of tennis, he had declared. No one was arguing.

More of a rare sporting moment than a classic tennis climax, Williams's 6-3, 7-6 win over the number two seed Lindsay Davenport also drew the 20-year-old into a rare historical narrative. Not since Althea Gibson in 1958 had an African American won the Wimbledon women's singles title.

Although baseball's Jackie Robinson is rightfully honoured for breaking the colour line in playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, then under the control of pioneer owner Branch Rickey, in 1946, Gibson was first to do it in women's tennis when she appeared in the 1950 US Championships.

While Gibson was befriended by a Dr Walter Johnson, who used to allow the youngster to play tennis on his court during the Virginian summers, Williams's rise from the public courts in the projects of Compton, Los Angeles, for her first Grand Slam title has touched a public nerve. The win has been hailed as one of the most important since Arthur Ashe beat Jimmy Connors in 1975. While Robinson was directed by Rickey to never react or say a word in reply to the avalanche of racist taunts he was subjected to throughout his career, Williams, in assessing the importance of her win, illustrated an increasing perspicacity.

"It had to be hard (for Gibson) because people were unable to see past colour. Still, these days it's hardly any different because you have to realise it's only been 40 years. How can you change centuries of being biased in 40 years? So now I think it's really a privilege to win this Wimbledon while she is still alive."

It was only Williams's fourth win over 24-year-old Davenport in 13 meetings. Racing through the first set in just 32 minutes, the crucial break came in the fourth game as Williams ran the slightly injured Davenport along the baseline like a scuttling mouse on a ledge, drives pumping into both corners.

Occasionally Williams would mix it, dropping the ball just over the net as Davenport steadied herself for the next thump to arrive. But the match was too scattered with unforced errors from the two big hitters to see any real threads knitting together. Ultimately, it was Williams's superior athleticism, combined with a Davenport serve that fell short of its usual potency, that proved critical.

With eight breaks of serve in the second set, no one was quite sure just where the contest was heading and when Williams hit two double faults serving for the match at 5-4, it appeared that she had invited Davenport back into contention.

"I didn't really think I was going to lose serve. In the end I just think my technique broke down. But I just wasn't going to let it hold me back today," said Williams.

The number five seed picked up her game in the tie-break to prevent a third set. Racing to a 6-2 lead, Williams simply waited for her serve to claim the title on her second match point.

"You knew eventually she would win a Grand Slam," said Davenport. "It's nice to see the monkey get off her back. Both Venus and Serena are showing that tennis players can be very athletic."

Martina Navratilova, who played doubles against the two earlier in the week, was in awe of the level of tennis the sisters are currently playing. "When I was playing I was one of the bigger players, but they're are just so imposing. They are strong, they're tall, they're mobile they've got the shots and there's room for improvement," she said.

Venus clearly made an effort to play a volley game and come in against Davenport, but her reluctance to temper power for the sake of accuracy was never an option. Rather than reduce, she increased the pace of her second serve to 90 mph throughout the match.

"I always expected to win Grand Slams. This is just good for me," said Williams. "This is good for my career. That's all I feel because I got the job done. I didn't let anything hold me back - not number one (Hingis), not number two (Davenport), not number eight (Serena)."

The £430,000 prize money that Williams adds to her family fortune is £47,500 short of what the men's winner received yesterday. While one sister has revitalised the issue of colour in sport, maybe together they can take on the final 'ism to flourish at Wimbledon.