Serena Williams beat sister Venus in straight sets to win her seventh Australian Open and an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
Serena, 35, won 6-4 6-4 to pass Steffi Graf in the all-time list of major winners since the Grand Slams accepted professional players in 1968.
The American regains the number one ranking from German Angelique Kerber.
Australia’s Margaret Court, with 24, is the only player still ahead of Serena in terms of Grand Slam singles titles.
| Women’s all-time Grand Slam singles titles leaders | |
|---|---|
| 24 (1960-1973) – Margaret Court (Aus) | 19 (1923-1938) – Helen Wills Moody (US) |
| 23 (1999-present) – Serena Williams (US) | 18 (1974-1986) – Chris Evert (US) |
| 22 (1987-1999) – Steffi Graf (Ger) | 18 (1978-1990) – Martina Navratilova (US) |
