Number one Victoria Azarenka claimed her fourth title of the season and brought her undefeated streak to 23 matches on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Maria Sharapova to win the Indian Wells Masters.
The victory in just under 90 minutes was a duplication of a win the Belarus top-seed took over Sharapova in January’s Australian Open final.
Azaranka became the first to benefit from a dramatic rise in prize money at the event, which now pays both men’s and women’s winner’s one million dollars each.
Azarenka added Indian Wells to WTA trophies she has earned in 2012 at Sydney, Melbourne and Doha. She stands 5-3 over Sharapova, whose last title was in May in Rome.
