Melbourne: Victoria Azarenka became the first Belarusian to win a grand slam singles title when she claimed the Australian Open title with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Russia's Maria Sharapova on Saturday.
The 22-year-old's first grand slam title also means that she will become the new world number one when the WTA rankings are released on Monday.
With both players virtually carbon copies of each other, Azarenka's footwork and superior speed around the court proved to be the difference as the duo hammered away at each other from the baseline.
Sharapova broke the first game of the match and took a 2-0 lead when she held but was never in the match from then on, with the Belarusian winning 12 of the next 13 games and sealing the title when the Russian hit a backhand into the net.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, January 28, 2012, 14:13