World No.1 Serena Williams added another accolade to her ever-growing list of historic achievements by claiming her 19th Grand Slam and 6th Australian Open title with a hard-fought 6-3 7-6(5) win over World No.2, Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova, coming into the match with a 15 match losing streak to Williams dating back to 2005 Australian Open, started off on a nervous note, wasting two game points and going down a break early on. The set, interrupted by a rain break, was dominated by Serena against an erratic Sharapova, who hit just 3 winners in it and lost the set 3-6, broken to love in the last game.
In contrast, a determined Sharapova showed up for the second set. Firing 18 winners and just 7 unforced errors, the Russian tested Serena in almost every service games and earning a few break point opportunities here and there and the duo arguably played the best set of the tournament. However, whenever Serena was on trouble on her own serve she would come up with an ace, using the best serve in women's tennis to full effect, and put the pressure back on the Russian. Serving at 4-5 down, Sharapova missed a sitter forehand, giving a championship point to Williams. But just like in her 2nd round match, Sharapova was unfazed by being match point down and came up with a big serve and finished the point with a forehand winner, right on the line. It was the third time in the tournament that Sharapova had a saved a match point by a gutsy winner on the line. After another hold of serve from each, the match went into a tie break, where Serena kept her cool and overcame a resolute Sharapova, 7-5, sealing the match and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup with her 18th ace.
In spite of a gripping and tense encounter between the world's top two tennis player, the post-match ceremony saw some inspiring speeches from the two incredible champions. As always, Sharapova was gracious in defeat."I haven't beaten her in a really long time. But I love every time I step on court against her, because she's been the best and as a tennis player you want to play against the best." For Williams, it was a record 19th grand slam title, putting her 2nd to only Steffi Graff(at 22) in the all-time open era list. The American, who was suffering from a nagging illness throughout the tournament, was humble and thankful in her speech. "Growing up, I wasn't the richest but I have family rich in spirit and support. Standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I just went on the court with just a ball and a racquet and a hope. And that's all I had. It's inspiring for all you guys out there who want to do something and and want to be the best you can be and do the best you can do, you just never give up."