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Serena crushes Sharapova for Aussie Open title

Unseeded Williams caps off incredible run with 'awesome win' for 8th Slam

Williams smiles with her trophy in hand after winning the women's final match against Sharapova at the Australian Open tennis tournament in MelbourneDarren Whiteside / Reuters
Serena Williams is only the second unseeded woman to win the Australian title in the Open era. Williams, who defeated top seed Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2 in Saturday's final, came into the tournament ranked No. 81 after missing most of last season because of a knee injury.

Williams led 4-0 before Sharapova held again, avoiding the most lopsided women’s final ever in the Australian Open.

Serving for the match, Williams fired two aces to earn triple match point, then finished it off in 1 hour, 3 minutes with the backhand winner.

With occasional showers and a strong wind outside, the roof was closed on packed Rod Laver Arena.

Williams missed nine tournaments immediately after losing in the third round at the Australian Open last year and played only 16 matches in 2006, when she slumped as low as No. 140 in the rankings.

Her win over No. 5 Nadia Petrova in the third round this time was her first over a top-10 player since she won the 2005 tournament.

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Maria Sharapova waves to the crowd as she's introduced for an exhibition tennis match in La Quinta, California
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Check out images of Maria Sharapova's career on, off court.

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Sharapova came into the match on a 13-match winning streak in Grand Slams, having won the U.S. Open in September. After winning her first-round match in three sets, Sharapova didn’t drop a set in five rounds before the final.

© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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