Australian Open 2012 Photos

Azarenka crowned Australian Open champion

January 28, 2012 22:31

Victoria Azarenka won her first grand slam title and became the new world number one when she thrashed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 in the Australian Open final on Saturday. (All AFP and AP Images)

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Victoria Azarenka won her first grand slam title and became the new world number one when she thrashed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 in the Australian Open final on Saturday. (All AFP and AP Images)
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Azarenka, who won the girls' singles crown in 2005, became only the third woman in the open era to win the junior and senior titles at the Australian Open after Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Chris O'Neil.
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Azarenka came from 0-2 down in the first set to win 12 of the next 13 games for a comprehensive victory, as Sharapova's game disintegrated in the face of all-out aggression from the Belarusian.
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The third-seeded Belarusian overpowered the 2008 champion in 82 minutes to lift the trophy and become the fourth women's first-time grand slam winner in a row.
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Sharapova made 30 unforced errors, while Azarenka played almost flawlessly at times with only 12 errors across the two sets.
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She is the first Belarusian to win a grand slam singles title, going one better than Natasha Zvereva, who finished runner up at the French Open in 1998.
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Sharapova has now been runner-up at two of the last three grand slams, after losing last year's Wimbledon decider to Petra Kvitova.
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Azarenka received the winner's trophy from former champion Martina Hingis.
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In the men's doubles final, the unseeded Indo-Czech pair of Leander Peas and Radek Stepanek upset top seeds Mike and Bob Bryan 7-6 (7/1), 6-2.
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The title created history for Paes, who became the first Indian to complete a career Grand Slam after winning the Australian Open, the only major men's doubles trophy that had been missing from his cabinet.
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The victory was the first for Paes over American twins Bob and Mike Bryan in a final after five defeats in title matches.

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