In a seesaw three-set final, Serena Williams defeated Lucie Safarova to win her third French Open title and 20th major championship at Roland Garros on Saturday. Not showing visible side effects from an illness that nearly cost her the semifinal match against Timea Bacsinszky, the American was workmanlike in her effort. And despite interesting ebbs and flows, she would capture the title, 6-3 6-7 6-2.

In the first set, Williams became the aggressor, placing the Czech on the defensive behind her serve and big groundstrokes. While Safarova would compete hard, she could not make inroads into the veteran’s service games. Meanwhile, Williams would find the one break that she would need for 3-1 and served out the first set behind the strength of 13 winners. Safarova, forced into defense for much of the set, struck just five.

It felt like déjà vu early in the second set as Williams heavily tilted a competitive match into her favor, breaking Safarova in the first game. She would race out to a 4-1 lead and a two-break advantage. However, the Czech would show the fight that was witnessed throughout this fortnight and to the delight of the fans, won four straight games. The left-hander moved Williams with sharp-angled shots, forcing her into a number of errors in the set.

With both competitors attempting to impose their will, an exchange of service breaks led to a second-set tiebreak. There, Safarova combined timely, aggressive groundstrokes with superior defense and benefited from some costly errors as she confidently ran away with it. The Czech evened a match that had appeared lost, forcing a decisive third set.

With Safarova showing energy and confidence while Serena reeled, the 13th seed quickly broke the legendary champion early in the third set. An outwardly frustrated Williams attempted to lift herself with screams and animated gestures. She would receive a profanity warning but successfully turned the set around, taking the last five games. Despite a gallant effort by Safarova, she was broken as she served to stay in the match, and Williams was the champion once more.

Williams reportedly spent much of Friday in bed recovering from the flu, but aside from a slower walk between points, she showed very few signs of illness during the match. Some commented that Safarova may have drained her energy with her run in the women’s doubles draw, but both players competed hard during the match.

The American gave credit to her opponent and complimented the fans afterwards, saying “Thank you to the fans, you’ve been magnificent. Congratulations to Lucie Safarova, she played a brilliant match for all the fans and tennis public.”  When asked about her play at Roland Garros on Saturday, Serena replied, “I choked. Simple as that. I hit a lot of double faults, and my first serve just went off. … I got really nervous, it was a big moment to win 20.”

Safarova gained many fans over the fortnight and enjoyed her two weeks in Paris. She said, “It’s been a great two weeks here for me … Serena, you were amazing today, you’re a great fighter and a great player.” Safarova and doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands will play for the women’s doubles title on Sunday.

Williams will now turn her attention to Wimbledon, which begins in less than a month. There, she will seek major title No. 21 at a venue where she has accrued five championships thus far. Having now won at Melbourne and Paris in 2015, she will continue her pursuit of a calendar Grand Slam.