Serena Williams secured an Open-era record 23rd grand slam title by beating her older sister Venus to become Australian Open champion.

After a nervous start, Serena proved unstoppable again on Rod Laver Arena as the American won 6-4 6-4 to claim her seventh Melbourne crown.

Venus arrived on the crest of a wave, having reached her first major final since 2009, but in truth she was second-best throughout here and an upset never looked likely.

Victory means Serena finally pulls clear of Steffi Graf's 22 major triumphs and now stands just one short of Margaret Court's all-time best of 24.