Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus Williams in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to win the Australian Open for her 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
By defeating Venus Williams in the Australian Open final on Saturday, Serena won her 23rd major title, breaking the record she had shared with Steffi Graf. The matchup between 36-year-old Venus and 35-year-old Serena was the oldest for a women's major final in the Open era, with a combined 71 years, 11 months. Serena also became the oldest Slam winner in the Open era at 35 years, 124 days. She now has a 17-11 career record against her sister, including a 10-5 advantage at Grand Slams and a 7-2 edge in Slam finals.
Following Serena’s win, in an on-set interview with ESPN, Serena received a letter of congratulations and a special gift (pair of shoes) from NBA Hall of Famer and legendary No. 23 Michael Jordan (his jersey number on the court). One shoe was red and black -- the Chicago Bulls' colors -- and the other was a more Serena-esque pink.
The Australian Open men's singles final will feature one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal. You can catch the live telecast today, Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 2 pm IST on SONY SIX channels. ESPN is producing local studio coverage surrounding the live coverage from Melbourne.
Serena receiving special gift from Michael Jordan