Serena Williams defended her Brisbane International title on Saturday, beating Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.
In a battle between the world's two highest-ranked female players, it was the No. 1 who came out on top with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-4 victory at the WTA Premier hard-court event.
Williams needed to be in top form during a close first set and was able to limit Azarenka to winning 66 percent of points on her first serve.
She got the crucial break in the seventh and made no mistake in the final game, winning it to love.
The second set saw Azarenka recover from a two-game deficit to take the next four but, while she saved one break point in the seventh, the world number two was unable to avoid being broken.
The pair then exchanged games until the 11th when Williams moved ahead and from there she kept cool to serve out the match and rack up her 58th career title.
It was her 22nd win in a row and Williams will go into the upcoming Australian Open in fine form while Azarenka will need to pick herself up if she is to clinch a third straight title at the slam.
Williams saw off world No. 4 Maria Sharapova in the semifinal before edging Azarenka. She explained her happiness at being able to play both in quick succession.
"I feel like I'm being pushed into the deep end straightaway," she told the WTA website.
"I think it's a good thing. In Melbourne if I have to face Maria again I'll know a little bit more what to expect, and (the) same thing with Victoria. If I happen to play her in Melbourne, I'll know what to do and what to expect."