MELBOURNE (AFP) - American top seed Serena Williams won her sixth Australian Open and 19th career Grand Slam title on Saturday with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) victory over Russia's Maria Sharapova.

The triumph means the world No. 1 overtakes 18-time major champions Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert to go a clear second on the all-time Open-era winners' list, three behind Steffi Graf on 22.

It also extends her decade-long dominance of Sharapova, with her 16th straight victory over the Russian.

At 33, she also became the oldest woman to win the title in the Open-era, taking her tally at Melbourne Park to six titles in six appearances in the final.