Victoria Azarenka beats Maria Sharapova to Australian Open title
The Australian Open is Victoria Azarenka's first major championship win
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Saturday, 28, Jan 2012 11:58
By Beth Curtis
Victoria Azarenka has taken her first Grand Slam title, beating three-time champion Maria Sharapova to become the world number one.
The 22-year-old from Belarus stunned the crowd in Melbourne by beating Sharapova in straight 6-3 6-0 sets in an hour and 22 minutes.
Along with winning her first major tournament, Azarenka has overtaken Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki as the top-ranking ladies player in the world.
Commenting on her win, the young competitor said: "[It's] the best feeling, for sure. I don't know about the game. I don't know what I was doing out there. It's just pure joy what happened. I can't believe it's over."
This year's Australian Open competition is only the second time Azarenka has reached the final eight of a major competition, after reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2011.
Sharapova initially looked to have the upper hand, with the Russian taking a 2-0 lead early on.
However, Azarenka fought back as Sharapova began to falter and stormed to victory.
The Wimbledon Championships 2012 will take place between June 25th and July 8th, with the Ladies' Singles Final taking place on Saturday July 7th.