Azarenka Tops Bartoli for 1st Career Title at WTA Brisbane

No. 2-seeded Belasrussian Victoria Azarenka won her first tour title in her fifth career title Saturday at Brisbane, easily defeating No. 3 seed Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-1.
ADHEREL
“It was a tighter match than the score showed,” offered the runner-up Bartoli, who has now lost her last four finals. “All the games were very tight, going to advantage, deuce, advantage, deuce…there were a lot of break points. I think overall it was a great match. She was coming up with some great shots. I wasn’t able to move her like I should have. I tried my best but she was just better.”

Last year Azarenka finished runner-up at tournaments in Gold Coast and Prague, and in two events the previous year.

“The way I was thinking on court was very different from before,” said Azarenka of her breakthrough. “I was playing every point, no matter what happened. I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I was playing in a final. I was thinking it was a regular match, regular points. There weren’t any nerves. I think that helped me today.”

In the doubles final the German/American tandem of Groenefeld/King topped Poles Jans/Rosolska 3-6, 7-5, 10-5.