This would have been Serena’s sixth victory in Miami, as well as the chance to break Steffi Graf’s record of 5 singles titles at this tournament. She barely missed the record! Man, that’s got to hurt a little. It sounds like Serena wasn’t too hard on herself about the match. She was injured after all.

“I gave the effort that I could give today. That’s all I could give,” said Serena, who’s left thigh was tapped. During the second set, you could see that Serena’s injury was getting the best of her.

This was one amazing day for Azarenka, who showed tons of excitement after the winning point. She threw down her racket and went to hug her coach and fitness coach.

“It was the biggest win of my career so far,” says Azarenka. “I was just so happy to finish the match, because I was getting a little bit nervous at the end.”

See below for a CBS recap of the match, as well as some highlights.

Image Credit: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Victoria Azarenka Defeats Serena Williams

 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Marion Bartoli of France in the women’s final of the Brisbane International on January 10, 2009. Azarenka won the match 6-3, 6-1.

This was Azarenka’s first tournament win on the WTA tour. The 19-year old has finished runner-up in her last four finals. Pictures from her winning match are below.

Image Credit: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus Wins Brisbane International