SERENA Williams won her 19th Grand Slam title, continued her unbeaten run in six Australian Open finals and extended her decade-long domination of Maria Sharapova with a commanding 6-3, 7-6 (5) win on Saturday night.
Williams, coughing frequently and still affected by a recent cold, returned from a 13-minute rain interruption in the first set and fired an ace to start a run of six straight points. She was broken while serving for the set but broke Sharapova for a third time to clinch it.
The 33-year-old Williams, the oldest winner of the Australian women’s title in the Open era, clinched the match on her third match point with an ace.
She is now second only to Steffi Graf (22) on the list of major winners in the Open era. – Sapa-AP
