For Victoria Azarenka ther Australian Open was her first Grand Slam final. It was also her first Grand Slam title, as the 22-year-old Belorussian defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets, 6–3, 6–0.

Azarenka outplayed her 24-year-old Russian opponent, hitting harder and moving better, winning 13 of 16 games and shutting out Sharapova in the second set.

With the win, Azarenka raised her ranking from number three to number one in the world.

The young champion looked dazed after winning the final point. She knelt on the court and looked around with a blank expression, not yet realizing what was happening.

“Right after the win I couldn’t understand what’s happening, you know, and I could not believe the tournament is over because it’s been so long, this road since Sydney,” she said on ESPN.

“I didn’t have one day off, so it kind of kept going kept going and right now it still hasn’t hit me that it’s over and I won this. I keep enjoying it.

“First two games were a little bit of a disaster, but then I kind of got the momentum going. I relaxed and I started focusing on the moment on each point, you know, trying to do whatever it takes to win that point.”

Azarenka said her very tough match against Kim Clijsters helped prepare her mentally for the final against Sharapova.

“It was a huge win over Kim—not only because it was a semifinal. It was just beating that great champion, the, defending champion here. It really helped me a lot with my self-belief. You have to go through the tough matches to win the titles. It’s always gonna happen. You cannot play perfect all the time.

“For me, it was a huge moment, you know—a great learning experience. Today was another learning experience for me because I have never been in that position, never been in that situation. It was exciting to see how, for myself, how I could adjust. And I did pretty well.”

The match was important for both players. Azarenka was in her first major final, seeking her first major title, while Sharapova was looking for her fourth major title, but her first in the four years since her shoulder surgery.

It seemed the pressure was getting to Azarenka at the star, as hit two double faults and was broken in the first game of the match. Sharapova double-faulted in her first service game but shrugged it off to hold. Azarenka, unfazed by the deficit, took the next three games. Sharapova held her serve in game five, and never won another.

As Azarenka’s confidence grew, Sharapova tightened up, starting to miss first serves and forehands. The Russian won 64 percent of her first-serve points, but only eleven percent of her second serves in this set, so this really hampered her.  

After winning the first set, Azarenka came out even stronger in the second, while Sharapova played worse, hitting 15 unforced errors in six games (30 for the match.) When she earned a break point, she hit the ball into the net—and lost the match the same way, hitting the championship point into the tape.

Azarenka played excellent tennis; probably she could have beaten Sharapova even if the Russian had kept her concentration. Victoria Azarenka rose to the moment and won her first title. Maria Sharapova will have to wait until next time to win her next.

Sharapova told ESPN that it wasn’t the pressure that was getting to her; she was just having a bad day against a good opponent.

“She did everything better than I did today. I had a good first couple of games, and that was about it. Then she was the one that was taking the first ball and hitting it deep and aggressive. I was always the one running around like a rabbit, you know, trying to play catchup all the time.

“It was just one of those days where maybe because I felt like I wasn’t being aggressive enough and I knew that I have to be and I knew that I had to change that.

“There was no way I was gonna win the match if I was gonna let her dictate and be the one that’s aggressive and go for the lines and change down the lines like she likes to do.

“But, yeah, I think maybe I just kind of overdid it.”

Though disappointed not to have been the one winning the title both players craved, Sharapova was still positive.

“To get to the final is a good achievement, but to end up being the one that loses is always tough, no matter what sport you’re in, but I’m proud of the fact that I made it this far,” she told ESPN. “It’s been a few years since I’ve been, you know, in the finals of the Australian Open.

“It’s a good start to the year, I guess, for me. I have a lot to look forward to this year.”