(Sports) 2016 Australian Open: the highs, lows, controversies and tantrums

The Australian Open has come and gone for another year, but not before this year's edition of the "Happy Slam" threw up its fair share of fairytale upsets, jaw-dropping points and off-court controversy.

It was a record Australian Open in many respects. During the two-week tournament, Novak Djokovic captured a record-equaling sixth men's crown, while German seventh seed Angelique Kerber halted Serena Williams' bid to join Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 women's titles to win her first.

But, as with every Grand Slam, the champions only tell half the story - Xinhua takes you through the highs and lows of the 2016 Australian Open.

BEST MATCH

Not since 2013 has a women's final lasted three sets, but this year Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber dished up a classic. Fierce, unrelenting defensive tennis from Kerber blunted Williams' power, with the German eventually prevailing 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and eight minutes.

Similarly, the men's semi-final between Milos Raonic and Andy Murray was a clash of polar opposite game style. Serve and volley from Raonic looked to work well against the No. 2 seeded Scot, but Murray's staunch baseline tennis won the encounter in the end - in part thanks to a debilitating leg injury to Raonic. The match lasted more than four hours before Murray booked his place in the final in a five-set thriller: 4-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.

BIGGEST UPSETS

Arguably the biggest and best upsets in both men's and women's draws came in the very first round.

Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai's giant-killing exploits in the first round shocked everyone at Melbourne Park, but particularly the world No. 2 Simona Halep.

The 26-year-old Zhang, who had waited 14 Grand Slams and eight years to get past the first round of a major, was not overawed by the occasion of playing the Romanian on center court, winning 6-4, 6-3.

After considering retirement late last year, Zhang powered into the quarter-finals before her dream run was ended by unseeded Englishwoman, Johanna Konta.

A day earlier, Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco booted out 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal in a five-setter reminiscent of their famous semi-final of 2009. Verdasco, 32, tipped the scales on his compatriot this time, though, prevailing in a grueling 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 match that lasted four hours and 41 minutes.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

While he might be only 29, debilitating back problems coupled with knee issues have made Rafael Nadal a shadow of the player he once was. But it was still a surprise to see the fifth seed and 2009 Australian Open champion, packing his bags after the first round - his earliest exit from Melbourne Park in 10 visits.

On the women's side of the draw, a procession of top seeds failed to make it the third round, with top-10 seeds Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams all being eliminated in the first few days of competition.

GREATEST CONTROVERSY

The tennis world was rocked with a match-fixing controversy on the morning of the first day of play.

An investigation by BBC and BuzzFeed used a unique algorithm to analyse betting patterns across matches over the last eight years.

The report uncovered a list of repeat offenders - said to be 16 players, of whom half were playing at Melbourne Park this year - and prompted tennis authorities to announce an independent review into the way its Tennis Investigation Unit handles match-fixing claims.

MOST DRAMATIC OFF-COURT INCIDENT

When Nigel Sears, coach of Ana Ivanonic and father-in-law of Andy Murray, collapsed in the stands during the Serbian's third-round clash against American Madison Keys, it sent shockwaves through Melbourne Park.

Sears was transferred to hospital but, thankfully, later released. The incident followed another two emergencies in the stands earlier in the first week which held up play.

WORST TANTRUMS

After injury left his pursuit for a first Grand Slam final in tatters, the usually placid Canadian Milos Raonic took out his frustration on his racquet in the semi-final against Andy Murray.

Raonic's pride and joy crumpled in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios lived up to his billing as Australia's "wild child," locking horns with chair umpire James Keothavong in the third round after apparently hearing music coming from the stands.

Perhaps more surprisingly were the antics of his new Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the reformed Aussie brat turned legend still had some choice words for chair umpire Pascal Maria as he bowed out of professional tennis.

"You're a friggin' idiot," he said during his second-round loss to David Ferrer. "That's why everyone in the locker room thinks you're so full of yourself."

BEST POINT

They already shared 27 Grand Slam titles between them, now Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer share one of the most memorable points in Australian Open history.

It only had nine shots, but it had everything.

At 15-30 on serve in the fourth set, the Swiss maestro rushed the net after smashing a serve out wide. However, the return from Djokovic was just as sublime, forcing Federer to play a drop volley off his bootlaces. The Serbian scampered to the net, playing a delicate lob which Federer chased down. Djokovic gained the ascendancy at the net, before Federer burned a desperate backhand winner down the line. Truly the stuff of tennis gods.

LOUDEST OUTFIT

Stan Wawrinka's clothing sponsor Yonex might have thought dressing the 2014 Australian Open champion in fluorescent orange and yellow would be cutting edge but - really - he looked like a gigantic, walking Tequila Sunrise.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams' on-court attire was the topic of much conversation, the 21-time Grand Slam winner sporting a yellow crop top for the duration of her campaign.

WEIRD WEATHER

While many associate the Australian Open with baking hot days and threats of enforcing the heat rule, 2016 was a refreshing change for players and fans alike. The hottest day of the tournament was the opening Monday, with the mercury hitting 35.3 degrees Celsius - a far cry from the mid-40s experienced in 2014. The lowest high came on Jan. 29, with the temperature barely surpassing 18 degrees.

In between there was enough rain to make Andy Murray feel at home.

BEST QUOTES

"When I was match point down in my first round to Misaki Doi, I had one foot on the plane to Germany," Kerber said in the post-match ceremony after winning her maiden Slam on Saturday night.

"I feel like I've been here before," Murray said dryly after losing to Djokovic for the fifth time in an Australian Open final on Sunday night.

BEST TWEET:

"Text I got from another former tour pro: 'we should see how many of the 16 betting guys we can name. I think I got at least 8-9,'" U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick said after the BBC/BuzzFeed reports of widespread match fixing in tennis. Enditem