Serena Williams stunned in Australian Open final

Serena Williams was stunned in an enthralling Australian Open final as Angelique Kerber secured the first Grand Slam singles title of her career.

Williams, a six-time champion in Melbourne, struggled to breach the defences of her German opponent throughout the encounter and went down 4-6 6-3 4-6 to the world No 6.

Kerber, playing in her first major singles final, broke Williams twice in the first set but a single break of serve from Williams in the second was enough for the 34-year-old to level the match.

Like in the first set, Kerber broke Williams twice in the final set to gain a 5-2 advantage in the decider, but Williams held before breaking to bring the match back on serve at 5-4.

The 21-time major winner, serving to level the third set at 5-5, went 0-30 down before earning game point at 40-30.

However, three straight points from Kerber, aided by a number of errors from the Williams racket, saw the 28-year-old break for a third time in the set to win the title.

It is the first time Williams has lost a Grand Slam singles final since she was beaten in the the 2011 US Open final by Australian Samantha Stosur.

Kerber will now rise to a career high world ranking of No 2 when the new rankings are released on Monday.