Serena Williams won her 19th Grand Slam title and sixth Australian Open trophy by defeating Maria Sharapova with a commanding 6-3, 7-6 (5) win on Saturday night.
The 33-year-old Williams, the oldest winner of the Australian women’s title in the Open era, won the first six points of the second set and seemed on course for another lopsided victory before Sharapova hit back in a gripping second set.
Sarena has now won 16 in a row and is 17-2 in career matches against five-time major winner Sharapova, who hasn’t won a head-to-head meeting since 2004.
Williams’ six Australian titles — in 2003, ’05, ’07, ’09 ’10 and’15 — have included two victories in finals against Sharapova, who won at Melbourne Park in 2008.