Showing off the talents and traits that once lifted her to No. 1 in the rankings, Halep never really gave Williams a chance to get into the match.

"I've always been intimidated a little bit when I faced Serena. She's an inspiration for everyone and the model for everyone," Halep said. "Today, I decided before the match that I'm going to focus on myself and on the final of (a) Grand Slam, not on her. That's why I was able to play my best, to be relaxed, and to be able to be positive and confident against her."

Halep tracked down everything, as is her wont. She didn't merely play defense, though, managing to go from retrieving an apparent point-ending stroke by Williams to lashing a winner of her own in a blink.

"I was over-hitting it, trying to go for too much," Williams said. "She was getting just a tremendous amount of balls back."

Her returns were exceptional, repeatedly getting back serves that left Williams' racket at 115 mph or more.

On this cloudy, cool afternoon, with the temperature in the low 70s (low 20s Celsius), Halep began with a pair of service breaks and even delivered the match's first ace, at 106 mph, which put her out front 4-0 after 11 astonishing minutes.