Still shaking off the rust from a 15-month doping ban and a string of nagging injuries, the 30-year-old Sharapova needed all her skill, determination and two hours and 44 minutes to snatch victory in front of a packed Arthur Ashe stadium.
Jannik Sinner brushed aside heat concerns to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, while Iga Swiatek ended home hopes by overpowering Maddison Inglis in Melbourne.
Factbox on Rafa Nadal, who won his eighth French Open tennis title on Sunday.
Max Verstappen returned to the Formula One podium for the first time this season on Sunday but the Red Bull driver, third in Canada, left no doubt about his unhappiness with new rules he considers to be anti-racing.
Looking back is a waste of time, as far as Roger Federer is concerned. While tennis fans and pundits are obsessed with his below-par performance at the four majors this year which has left him in danger of missing the cut for the season-ending ATP finale for the first time since 2001, Federer has already put a positive spin on his 2013 trials and tribulations.
Serena Williams fuels comeback speculation with TV interview
Naomi Osaka is re-evaluating her tennis schedule to balance her career with motherhood after a recent loss, highlighting the challenges of returning to professional sports after having a child.
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina to reach the Miami Open final, where she will face Coco Gauff, who defeated Karolina Muchova.
A distraught Lorenzo Musetti was struggling to comprehend how injury robbed him of victory against Novak Djokovic and a place in the Australian Open semi-final on Wednesday.
India's Rohan Bopanna won his first Grand Slam as he and his Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski.
Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek were knocked out of the Stuttgart Open quarter-finals, while Elena Rybakina survived a tough match to reach the semi-finals.
Iga Swiatek plans to simplify her tennis strategy after a surprising defeat to Magda Linette at the Miami Open, marking her first opening loss in a WTA tournament since 2021.
Sania Mirza has said that French Open is going to be the "toughest" for her and Swiss partner Martina Hingis as clay court is not among their favourite surfaces.
Olympic champion Monica Puig wants to capitalise on her victory, both on and off the court.
Images from the women's singles final at the French Open in Paris on Saturday.
Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who made the third round of the 1997 US Open also at 15, was the previous youngest player to advance to that stage of a grand slam.
Djokovic, 38, is winless on clay this year after exiting the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open with straight-sets losses last month, and his form is a concern heading into Roland Garros, which kicks off on Sunday.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka said it would be unfair for women to face "biological men" in professional tennis.
Serena Williams said the latest chapter in her tennis life was "just beginning" on Saturday after seeing her hopes of a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title dashed in the Wimbledon final.
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka fended off a serious challenge from Anastasia Potapova to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Former world number one Serena Williams returns to Grand Slam action for the first time in over 15 months, when she goes up against Czech Kristyna Pliskova in the French Open first round.
As he chases Grand Slam success, Alexander Zverev describes the unseen routines and discipline behind playing tennis with type 1 diabetes.
Women's World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will take on Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios in a 'Battle of the Sexes' exhibition match in Dubai on December 28, organisers announced on Tuesday.
Swiatek made the most of Kasatkina's string of unforced errors, peppering court Philippe Chatrier with winners.
Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu will co-host this year's Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid, marking a historic first for the prestigious event.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-1 to win the Qatar Open on Saturday and extend his perfect start to the year.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka enters the Australian Open in her familiar role as the hot favourite but unlike in the past two years the powerful Belarusian arrives without a title to defend or the momentum of a winning run in Melbourne.
Second seed Novak Djokovic tackles Croatia's Marin Cilic in the third round of the French Open on Friday as his attempt to win the only grand slam title to elude him gathers pace.
'I look forward to visiting Newport next August to celebrate this special moment with the tennis community.'
Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev to reach the Miami Open final, where he will face Jiri Lehecka. Sinner is aiming to complete the 'Sunshine Double' after his Indian Wells victory.
Alexander Zverev will be third seed for the French Open but the 28-year-old German's prospects of winning his first Grand Slam title in Paris are not looking especially bright.
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the semifinals of the Indian Wells tournament, along with Daniil Medvedev and Elina Svitolina, after a series of compelling matches.
Austria's Dominic Thiem strained every sinew trying to cling on to the 32-year-old Spaniard and at times even gained a precarious foothold in his first Grand Slam final. But it ultimately proved a futile mission as, just like in all but two of Nadal's previous 87 matches here, the relentless Spaniard proved insurmountable, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
World number two Iga Swiatek joined a growing chorus of players demanding more privacy off the courts at the Australian Open after cameras captured Coco Gauff in a post-match meltdown that the American said should have been a personal moment.
Eighth seed Barty joins 1969, 1970 and 1973 champion Margaret Court and 1971 winner Evonne Goolagong-Cawley on the list of Australian women who have lifted the trophy here in the professional era.
Former world number one Kim Clijsters will play about 16 tournaments next year including all four Grand Slams, the 26-year-old Belgian said on Thursday.
Osaka made her way into Rod Laver Arena carrying a parasol, wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a veil, and Nike's Copa-Light Liquid Lime-White dress with soft, jellyfish-inspired ruffles.
Bhambri's exit from men's doubles brings down curtains on India's challenge at Australian Open.
Nadal stretched his record of men's singles Grand Slam titles to 22
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been named WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after spending the entire year at the top of the rankings.
