Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hits a return to Maria Sharapova of Russia during their women's singles final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 28, 2012.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hits a return to Maria Sharapova of Russia during their women's singles final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Saturday. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

Victoria Azarenka became the first Belarusian to win a grand-slam singles title when she claimed the Australian Open title with a crushing 6-3, 6-0 victory over Maria Sharapova of Russia on Saturday.

The 22-year-old's first grand-slam title also means that she will become the new world No. 1 player when the Women's Tennis Association rankings are released on Monday.

While the two are virtually carbon copies of each other in terms of height and playing style, Azarenka had won the two previous finals between the pair, both on hard courts, and the players' entrances could not have been more prophetic.

Carrying a designer handbag, Sharapova was stalked down the tunnel by the hooded Azarenka, exuding a sense of menace as she stayed in the shadows.

The mugging by the first-timer, when it did come, was brutally efficient. It took until the third game of the match, but by then the visible signs of anxiety were gone.

Azarenka had dropped her first service game, and she was trailing 2-0 and 0-30 in her second when she finally realized she had Sharapova's number.

Attacking at every opportunity, Azarenka used her better speed and footwork to absorb and negate the Russian's power game and bashed her about the baseline at will.

The Belarusian overcame the early deficit and broke Sharapova twice on the way to taking the first set in 46 minutes.

With the Russian down to one knee, Azarenka did not let up her attack, breaking Sharapova's serve in the first game of the second set and then holding off a break point in the next game.

She soon ran away with the set and the match, claiming the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup when Sharapova blasted a backhand into the net, sending Azarenka sinking to her knees and proclaiming I can't believe it before rushing over to embrace those sitting in her support box.

Azarenka became the third woman, after Evonne Goolagong-Cawley and Chris O'Neil, to win the junior and senior singles title at Melbourne Park. She won the junior title in 2005.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

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