Top seed Maria Sharapova heaped praise on Serena Williams following the American's devastating 6-1, 6-2 upset victory over her in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

"She played flawless tennis," the Russian told a news conference. "I was trying to find ways to get into the match but I wasn't able to do it.

"She was serving big and was pretty consistent. We played some good tennis, but didn't have many long rallies because she was aggressive with all her shots, going for them and making most of them."

The U.S. Open champion continued to struggle with her serve as she had done throughout the tournament.

"My serving percentage was not good enough," the world number one elect said.

"It was a matter of serving well and returning well and I didn't think I did either today."

The 19-year-old Sharapova said she was not surprised by the performance the unseeded Williams produced to win her eighth Grand Slam title.

"I expected her to play well, she's won six matches here and she had no reason not to be confident. Her first serve is consistently the biggest in the game. It's definitely her biggest weapon."

Sharapova, who came within two points of defeat in her first-round match against unseeded Frenchwoman Camille Pin in sweltering conditions, tried to sound upbeat after losing a Grand Slam final for the first time.

"I don't like losing, it's not fun but these moments make you stronger," she said. "It's definitely not the end of the world, I got to the final of a Grand Slam and I have a lot to be proud of."