 Azarenka lost last year's final at the Gold Coast women's event |
Second seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat Marion Bartoli of France 6-3 6-1 in the Brisbane International final to win her first WTA Tour title. The 19-year-old had lost four previous tour finals but beat the third-seeded Frenchwoman in one hour and 11 minutes. "Everybody says the third time's the charm but for me it is the fifth one - I'm just glad I got it," said Azarenka. Spain's Fernando Verdasco will face the Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek in the men's final on Sunday. Third seed Verdasco beat France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2 6-1 before Stepanek, the eighth seed, defeated another Frenchman Richard Gasquet 2-6 6-2 6-4.  | I am focusing on tennis. Maybe if I get married it is worse (distraction). I told her that I need time |
Verdasco beat Mathieu in just 78 minutes, winning 11 games in a row after trailing 2-0 early in the first set, despite having his concentration momentarily broken by a female fan who asked him to marry her. "I just told her that it is not the moment right now," he joked. "I am focusing on tennis. Maybe if I get married it is worse (distraction). I told her that I need time." Verdasco has lost his two previous matches to Stepanek but said he was better prepared this time. "I know his way of play, he knows that. But I have confidence that I can win," Verdasco said. Gasquet broke Stepanek three times to claim an easy first set but the Czech player rallied and won four straight games in the second set to send the match to a decider. He broke Gasquet in the ninth game en route to victory, and insists he is confident of stopping Verdasco. | I am at a different level now especially physically because I've been working so hard in the pre-season |
"Definitely I would like to destroy his rhythm," Stepanek said. "He keeps improving but I am doing the same thing." Azarenka, meanwhile, reeled off six games in a row to win the first set and opened up a 4-0 lead in the second as Bartoli's game fell apart. She said she had matured from when she finished runner-up at the tournament last year. "I am at a different level now especially physically because I've been working so hard in the pre-season," she said. "I'm just so happy it's all paying off. I've improved just about everything there is in the pre-season but there's a little bit still to improve." Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon finalist, had defied the odds just by reaching the final after being struck down by illness for most of last year. She said: "I've been practising a lot to make sure I'm ready for the Australian Open and maybe it caught up with me."  Dementieva is full of confidence heading into the Australian Open |
In New Zealand, Olympic champion Elena Dementieva beat fellow Russian Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-1 to capture the Auckland Classic title. Dementieva, 27, wrapped up the victory in 88 minutes and completed the tournament without dropping a set. "I played some good tennis, especially in the semi-final and final. It's been a great beginning of the year," said the world number four. The unseeded Vesnina, 22, was playing in her first WTA final after teaming up with Dementieva in the doubles. "Maybe I was bit tired," she said. "It was long week for me." Croatia's Marin Cilic will face unheralded Somdev Dewarman of India in the final of the Chennai Open on Sunday. Cilic beat Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-4 6-3 while Dewarman advanced to the final after Germany's Rainer Schuettler withdrew with a wrist injury which makes him doubtful for the Australian Open on 19 January. Dewarman, 23, who gained a wildcard to play in only his fifth ATP event, had beaten Carlos Moya and Ivo Karlovic in earlier rounds.
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