Serena beats sister Venus 6-4 6-4
Victory brings her an Open-era record 23rd major singles title
Commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, highlights on BBC One at 13:15
S Williams 6-4 5-4 V Williams
The Melbourne crowd goes quieter than your local library as Serena takes her time over a serve at 30-30. It works. She pulls one out of the bag, forcing Venus to crack a forehand into the net. Match point...
Image source, Getty Images*S Williams 6-4 5-4 V Williams
Laver roars as Venus wins the opening point on Serena's serve, gasping a little when Serena levels up after Venus slaps ball into net...15-15.
A tug o' war of a rally, Serena pulling one way, Venus pulling back, ends when Serena plants a forehand into the net after Venus dusts a millimetre of the line. A 24-shot rally, 15-30...
*S Williams 6-4 5-4 V Williams
Venus is running uphill now. In mud. Wearing steel toe-capped boots. Serena leaves Venus panting with a forehand winner for 15-15, is she going to leave her behind now? No, Venus shows her guts and determination for the millionth time in her career, powering back with an ace.
If Serena is going to win it, then she must do it on her own serve...
Image source, AFPS Williams 6-4 5-3 V Williams*
What a time for Serena to produce her best service game of the match. A hold to love whizzes past Venus quicker than a Ferrari on the autobahn.
Serena is one game away from her seventh Australian Open title. One game away from a record 23rd Grand Slam title...
Image source, AFP*S Williams 6-4 4-3 V Williams
Third time lucky for Serena. Or third time unlucky for Venus. Serena continues to attack the Venus second serve, pouncing on a short ball with a bone-crunching backhand winner.
Serena is not quite on the home straight, but she's certainly storming around the final bend...
Image source, EPAS Williams 6-4 3-3 V Williams*
The Laver crowd roars on Venus as she grabs a couple of balls. They don't want to go back into town for an early dinner.
The longest rally of the match ends in Venus crosscourt forehand flying past the baseline, bringing out a Serena fistpump.
Break point for Serena. Saved! A bold second serve from Venus forces Serena into the net, but then she immediately tees up another. That disappears down the drain too, Serena putting too much beef into a forehand. On we go...
Image source, Getty ImagesS Williams 6-4 3-3 V Williams*
Serena turns up the aggression, galloping forward at 15-15, forcing Venus to retreat, almost alongside the line judges. Williams senior manages to get the ball back, dropping into the tramlines, Serena putting her foot down on the next two points. Venus scatters a couple of forehands out of the court.
Image source, Getty Images
Jill Craybas
Former world number 39 on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
This final means so much to both of them in their own ways, but I think they're thinking about each other, what it means to the other sister, and that has to be a hard dynamic when you're out there playing.
*S Williams 6-4 2-3 V Williams
Anything you can do, sis. More super serving from Venus as she closes out another hold relatively easily. After more breaks than a multipack of Kit Kats in the first, neither player has managed to convert one in the second.
Image source, EPAS Williams 6-4 2-2 V Williams*
Serena stares angrily into space as a double fault gives Venus a sniff at 40-30. But she is let off the hook when Venus wallops a forehand into the net with Serena stuck on the other side of the court. Chance gone.
Image source, AFP*S Williams 6-4 1-2 V Williams
What. A. Hold. Venus boosts her morale - and lifts the crowd with a superb turnaround. The match was in danger of running off into the distance there. Venus maintains her momentum by forcing Serena into an error and then wrapping up a gutsy hold with another forehand winner.
Image source, EPAS Williams 6-4 1-1 V Williams*
Venus is staring down the barrel as a double fault gives Serena three break points. The pressure told there.
One break point is saved with a big serve down the middle, Serena clubbing back a long forehand.
A second break point also goes when Venus again hits the target at the first time of asking.
And the third is also saved! A third first serve in a row leaves Serena scrabbling and hauls Venus level. Deuce...
Image source, EPAS Williams 6-4 1-1 V Williams*
Serena has sparked up the stove and got herself cooking on gas. She races into a 40-0 lead with the help of an ace and a service winner, only to lose focus momentarily and allow Venus back in at 40-30. But she turns up the heat again, leaving Venus wilting with a loose forehand return.
Image source, AFP*S Williams 6-4 0-1 V Williams
A much better start to the second set by Venus, who clearly won't want to know that stat I've just told you. Or maybe she already does.
She kicks off the second set with an impressive hold, sealed when she drops to her haunches at the baseline to dig out a forehand winner.
Image source, EPANick Bollettieri, Venus and Serena's former coach, on 5 live: "Serena said to me, I’m tired of coming in second place. I said what are you going to do about it and she said, I start winning.
"I don’t think it was in particular about beating Venus, she wanted to be a winner. Both of them do."
Image source, Getty ImagesS Williams 6-4 0-0 V Williams*
These two sisters have played each other 27 times in competitive matches. On only four occasions has the woman who lost the first set gone on to win...
S Williams 6-4 V Williams
Far from spectacular, not even steady. But it is first blood to Serena. She's found her service game just when she needed to.
Venus's shoulders slump towards the court, like a teenager just told she's grounded, as a backhand return goes long for 0-30. But she is blameless for the next two losing points, Serena blasting down a pair of aces to clinch it.
Image source, Reuters*S Williams 5-4 V Williams
Pressure? What pressure? Venus digs deep when it matters - refusing to cough up her serve for a fourth time. Some splendid serving pins Serena back, a couple of forced errors from the backhand seeing Venus home.
For now... Serena serving for the set.
David Law
Radio 5 live sports extra commentator
It is subdued. It doesn't feel like a Gand Slam final. That could be due to the lack of consistent quality in this final. You don't always need quality to deliver excitement. If this stays tight and goes to three sets, with everything on the line, it could be a dramatic Melbourne evening.
S Williams 5-3 V Williams*
More like it from Serena - but still not without the odd blip. Trailing 15-30, Serena spanks down a timely fifth ace of the match, putting the pressure back on to Venus. She buckles with a wild forehand that troubles the line judge more than Serena.
And a lung-stretching forehand winner from Serena - who grunts loudly as she hammers in the winner - puts her within one game of the opening set.
Image source, Getty Images