Serena Williams beats sister Venus Williams in Australian Open final

Serena Williams clinched her 23 Grand Slam title as she defeated sister Venus Williams in the Australian Open final here on Saturday.Serena defeated Venus in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

Serena and Venus, who are each other's greatest rivals, playing 28 times in their long careers, including in nine Grand Slam finals. Serena now holds a 7-2 edge in the major deciders, with a 17-11 win-loss record overall.

A seventh Melbourne triumph for Serena pushed her past Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 major titles, with only Margaret Court's all-time mark of 24 still to beat.

After a nervous start, Serena Williams won the first set against her sister, Venus, 6-4, in the final.

Serena Williams looked off her game at the start, dropping serve twice to open the set. She double-faulted three times in the fourth game of the match to allow Venus to pull even again at 2-all.

Venus Williams had trouble holding serve, as well, getting broken three times. The players combined for 29 unforced errors in an uneven set.

Serena Williams took out her frustrations on her racket at one point, slamming it to the court after slipping in the back-court and nearly snapping it in half.

Serena Williams is trying to win her 23rd Grand Slam title, moving one past Steffi Graf to set a new record in the Open era. Venus Williams is back in the final of the Australian Open for the first time since 2003.