PARIS -- It was sort of like when she stole her sister's toothpaste way back when they were silly little girls. And when in the world was that -- back on that planet far, far away when they bashed around tennis balls in the ghettos of Compton, Calif., or when they bashed around the little Ewoks on Endor? No, actually, it was only a few weeks ago -- long since the wondrous Williams sisters had become practically otherworldly not to mention the absolutely biggest stars in the tennis wars; when Venus used to let Serena always get her way; when baby sis used to steal stuff and "I had no toothpaste and I was fighting for my life in the mornings ... so I'd have to go all the way to (Serena's) room, get the toothpaste back, put a little on my thumb and didn't take the (tube) back because I figured 'if I take it back, she won't have any.' "

	Venus Williams, left, was no sore loser. She hugged her sister Serena and then grabbed a camera to take her picture.

Well Serena, 20, is still robbing her sister blind. Even on a sun-splashed sparkling clear Saturday at Roland Garros she stole the toothpaste and the brushes and the floss and all the mouthwash, too, as she finally beat Venus, 21, when it mattered; beat her in only the third Grand Slam final ever contested by sisters (1884 Wimbledon, 2001 U.S. Open; no the Sledges weren't in that first one); beat her 7-5, 6-3 for the championship of France, not to mention of the Williams' family salles de bains; beat her then posed for her as the No. 1 player in the world ran for a camera to take photographs of No. 2.

"Yeah, but that's on paper," Serena said.

On the court Serena has now defeated Venus in four straight sets -- a 6-2, 6-2 whomping on the hard court in Miami this winter brought her record against Venus to 5-2 -- and the evidence in Paris suggests that the younger woman has removed all self-doubt along with the technical kinks from her better all-round game. Coincidentally, Venus now must realize she isn't going to get away with beating her sister anymore just because she's older. Or without bringing her A material. Or on the merits of being taller, faster, more experienced and with a much more appreciated classical fashion sense. (Thank God S-Will didn't wear that ridiculous imitation Cameroon soccer outfit with those yellow knee socks for her championship moment; we might have had to sic Joan Rivers on her.)

"Well she's been doing this a little longer because she's more serious about it. But I've been trying to get a little better. I have a better lens. No, she has the same lens I do," Serena said, referring to Venus' surprise post-match move of rushing up into the stands where her mother, Oracene (Brandy), produced a camera so Venus could join the photographers' ranks and capture the champion's traditional portrait.

The Williams' family shillpersons immediately insisted the fun-filled scenario was not choreographed by King Richard the Dad from back home in Florida. Moreover, this might have been the first time the sibs have played against each other-- it was easily their best, highest quality and most competitive match -- that all the cynics had no reason to doubt the legitimacy of the occasion. "Even matches they don't play against each other get people's backs up," The Times of London had chortled the morning of the final, referring to Venus' withdrawal in Indian Wells in March 2001 five minutes before the semifinal against Serena, which caused a public furor. Then there was their first meeting in Miami '99 with Richard bizarrely sending all kinds of hand signals, and those Grand Slam encounters at the '98 Australian Open, 2000 Wimbledon and the history-smashing 2001 U.S. Open final, all with Venus emerging victorious -- and all with doubts hanging basically because Serena turned from raging lioness (against everybody else) to tentative lambskin once she glimpsed Venus across the net.

But substitute "serve" for "lens" -- and Serena might have been talking about tennis rather than photography on Saturday. Of the 29 head-to-head matches sisters have played for over 30 years on the WTA tour -- from the Maleevas to the Serra-Zanettis, but not including, of course, University of Michigan teammates Sarah Cyganiak , 18, beating Elizabeth Cyganiak, 21, in the U.S. amateur championships in 1994 -- only five times has the younger sister prevailed. But at Roland Garros this year, Serena looked the better player from the outset -- serving stronger, more aggressive off the ground, confidently slugging away, hardly the nerves-nettled ingénue of past meltdowns.

As the match started, a shaky Venus, in fact, double faulted twice in the first game and doubled again, Serena holding a point for 3-0. But after four deuces Venus held. Then Serena double faulted twice herself and it was 2-all.

That was the way the games teeter-tottered throughout the first set, but Serena was sliding better on the copper-colored clay that both sisters have suddenly mastered -- neither passed the quarterfinals here before this spring -- and Venus kept struggling on her delivery. "It was sunny, windy, tough to get control of my toss," said Venus. "We wanted to win so much, both of us were tight."

	“	In my mind I've always been the best tennis player. ”
		— Serena Williams

In the sixth game S-Will missed a tough short ball after a V-Will half volley dropshot and then was beaten again when she tried her own drop that was gobbled up and blasted into the clear by her sister. Picking up in precision and intensity, Venus was on a four-game roll and then broke Serena at love for 5-3. Serving for the first set, though, the older sib double faulted again and was broken again -- in the midst of a match-deciding string where Venus failed to hold in seven of the last eight games she served.

Still, with Serena serving at 4-5 to save the set, Venus came within two points of winning it three times. Swok! A ferociously brave forehand to the opposite corner by Serena. Fffft! A Venus shot that skidded on the let cord and failed to land for her. Whap! A Serena service winner. Serena fought out of danger to hold, broke at love when Venus missed an easy overhead and served out the set, fighting off two break points with huge deliveries of her that her sister had no reply for.

Serena won 52 points to Venus' 46 in the opener, then stayed on song, sweeping 21 of the first 32 points of the second to take a 4-1 lead as the French crowd grew restless. But Venus, not giving in, broke Serena's serve herself at love -- Little Sis letting up on Big Sis? Sending back the toothpaste? Uh oh -- and finally held her own. Alas, for all the Parisians now willing Venus on, hoping for a third set, it was all for naught. Too many V giveaways. Too many S winners. "Serena wants it more this time," mom Brandy, smashing in her zebra-swirl outfit, had told everybody earlier.

Soon after Venus planted another easy overhead in the net and watched another of Serena's lightning bolt forehand passes blow by her, it was over. "She's the best sister in the whole world," Serena told the crowd in English. Then, in the more appreciated French, she said something that was translated as: "But next year, I'd like to do this again."

	Serena Williams left her soccer ensemble at home for the final.

Later, Serena was asked if it felt any different winning against Venus than against other opponents. "No, I think it's better because at least we both took home the maximum amount of money and (ranking) points." Her own take was over $700,000 -- "or less than Jake Lamotta got for losing those bouts when the fix was in," said Ubaldo Scanagotta of La Nazione in Florence, Italy.

Whoops. Did we say all the cynics?

"Do you and your sister split the money?" another European reporter inquired.

"Do we split the money?"

"Yes."

"No. We're over here fighting like dogs and animals. My money is going to Uncle Sam immediately. Unfortunately.

"Uncle Sam Williams?"

"I wish," said the girl who also mentioned it was fairly stupendous to win another Grand Slam after so many years had passed since her first one. (Well, three years. That was at the '99 US Open.) "It was just kind of discouraging. I didn't want to be a one-hit wonder. I had to get it again.

"Hopefully, we (S and V) can build a rivalry that we'll be able to do this a lot. Just make a legacy. Then retire (as) champions."

After what, another ten or twenty Grand Slams? Together the sisters have six now (Venus owns the last two Wimbledon and Open trophies.) But only one of them can be Number One. "In my mind I've always been the best tennis player," Serena said.

And pretty soon she may be, yeah, that on paper, too.

Curry Kirkpatrick is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at curry.kirkpatrick@espnmag.com.