Azarenka Defeats Sharapova for China Open Title

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Azarenka Defeats Sharapova for China Open Title

By Chris Oddo

Victoria Azarenka beats Maria Sharapova to win the 2012 China Open

(October 7, 2012) -- On any given Sunday anything can happen in a WTA final, but when Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova meet in a Sunday final, the results have been predictable of late.

Victoria Azarenka’s 6-3, 6-1 victory over Sharapova – her fifth straight in a hard court final against the Russian – solidified Azarenka’s spot at the top of the WTA’s rankings as well as solidifying Azarenka’s role as Sharapova’s kryptonite on cement.

“Victoria played an amazing match today – there’s a reason she’s No. 1 in the world right now,” said Sharapova afterwards. In the pair’s five meetings this year, Sharapova’s only victory against Azarenka came on the clay in Paris when she defeated the Belarusian in the quarterfinals of the French Open en route to her fourth career Grand Slam title.

(Related: The Azarenka/Sharapova Rivalry, by the Numbers)

On hard courts, the story has been decidedly different. Sharapova, the current World No. 2, doesn’t have many weaknesses, but Azarenka certainly has a knack for bringing what little weakness she does have to the fore on hard courts.

The World No. 1 was a step too quick and a tad too consistent for Sharapova once again today as she raced out to 4-0 leads in both sets en route to her 13th career title and fifth of 2012. With pinpoint accuracy on her returns and a seemingly indefatigable resolve, Azarenka kept the pressure on Sharapova throughout the encounter, forcing the bigger, harder-hitting Russian to aim for the lines, a feat she accomplished at times, but not nearly often enough.

Six double faults in the first set didn’t help Sharapova much either, but when facing a woman who is considered by most to be the best returner in the game at the moment, it wasn’t surprising.

When Sharapova did make serves, they were regularly deposited back at her feet with interest, and they gave Azarenka the edge in the rallies that ensued, allowing her to break serve five times while winning 71 percent of Sharapova’s second serve points.

For the week, Azarenka broke serve a remarkable 26 times in 42 games, and when it came to holding her own serve (a bigger serve is one of the few advantages that experts give Sharapova in the matchup), Azarenka sparkled there as well, saving six of seven break points and winning half of her second serve points against the formidable Sharapova return.

"I'm really happy to finally have a really good result here -- I've been coming here for the last four years and I'm happy I could finally show my game and hold the trophy," Azarenka said. "I've worked so hard and it all came together here.”

With the victory, Azarenka also passed Serena Williams for the most money earned in a single season on the WTA Tour all-time. Azarenka has earned $6,916, 920 with the lucrative WTA Championships still to come in two weeks. Williams earned $6,545,586 in 2009.

(Photo Credit: AP/ Andy Wong)