AUSTRALIAN OPEN: China's Li Na Beats Dominika Cibulkova To Win Title

Seven months after giving retirement serious thought, Li Na made it third time lucky in an Australian Open final with a 7-6 (3), 6-0 win over Dominika Cibulkova to become the oldest women's champion here in the Open era.

Li, who turns 32 next month, lost finals to Kim Clijsters in 2011 and to Victoria Azarenka last year. In between, she won the 2011 French Open in one of the many firsts she's established for Chinese tennis.

Widely popular at Melbourne Park for her funny post-match interviews and wise cracks about her husband and his snoring, Li didn't disappoint the Rod Laver Crowd in her first victory speech.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2014: Dominika Cibulkova Knock Sharapova Out Of Tournament

Maria Sharapova followed top seed Serena Williams out of the Australian Open with a shock defeat by Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round. The Russian, who won the title in 2008, lost 3-6 6-4 6-1 in an erratic display on Rod Laver Arena.

Five-time champion Williams was beaten by Ana Ivanovic 24 hours earlier, leaving two-time winner Victoria Azarenka - the second seed - as the player with the most major titles in the draw.

Third seed Sharapova left the court for a medical timeout before the final set, and finished with a total of 45 unforced errors as Cibulkova closed it out in two hours and 12 minutes.