
Serena Williams overcame top seed Victoria Azarenka with ease to win Sunday's Madrid Open final.
The ninth seed needed just 64 minutes to wrap up a 6-1 6-3 victory and improve her head-to-head record against Azarenka to 7-1.
Williams gained two early breaks to race into a 4-1 lead, and the set was in the bag after 26 minutes when a double fault from Azarenka gifted the American a third break.
The world number one was broken again in game two of the second set, causing her to slam her racquet to the ground in frustration.
The Belarusian failed to get to grips with her game throughout the final, and although she managed to hold serve for the rest of the set, Williams eventually served out for the title, sealing the contest with her 14th ace.
"I'm so happy to win this title," said Williams. "I really felt good on the court."
With the start of the Rome Masters beckoning on Monday, Azarenka maintained a positive attitude.
"Serena played well and I didn't today," she said. "She was so much better than me. But I have to take the positives.
"These moments let you see what you can do better. I know I can come up with better things the next time - and I will."
"I had a few opportunities in the second set with break points but I didn't take anything today. I tried to get back into the match as much as I could but it didn't work."
 



