Victoria Azarenka won the Indian Wells Masters for the second time on Sunday as she handed Serena Williams 6-4, 6-4 defeat in a one-way final.
The defeat was the second straight this season for world number one Williams, who was beaten in the Australian Open final seven weeks ago by German Angelique Kerber.
Williams came to the court having won 30 of her last 33 finals. Her only losses were to Azarenka at Doha and Cincinnati 2013 and to Kerber.
The American still leads the head-to-head against her Belarus rival 17-4. Azarenka will return to the top 10 for first time since August 2014, standing eighth.
Azarenka won her 20th singles title out of 35 and showing a complete recovery after two years of injuries.
“It feels good just to be able to see the work that I have put in and it’s paying off,” the winner said. “Everything that I have been through in the last years, it makes it more special.”
She said she wanted to keep going and continue improving.
“I was more aggressive,” she said of Sunday’s match. “I started to use my serve the way I wanted to use my serve. Having that big goal in mind and going after it, that’s something that makes the momentum shift on the big stages.”
She said nothing comes easy when playing against Williams.
“Serena’s not a type of player that if you play safe she’s gonna give it to you or she’s gonna miss,” she said.
“My mentality was just to stay calm, do what I think is right, play aggressive, play my game, and figure it out from there.”
Williams said it was good to be able to play.
“Obviously, I didn’t win and that’s not the result I was looking for, but I think looking at the big picture ... I definitely didn’t expect to be on that stage again.

Little nervous
She said she was “definitely a little nervous” at the beginning of the match.
“But also really excited. Those emotions I had a little bit last year I was having again. I definitely did not expect that. But you can’t be nervous the whole match.”
Williams had been bidding for a 69th career title.
Azarenka blew through the opening set starting with a love break in the opening game on a Williams double-fault. The Belarus seed also began the second in similar fashion and then took a 5-1 lead on a double break.
But Williams fought back with a break for 3-5 and drew to within one game, 4-5, as she held.
Azarenka finished off the trip to her second title of the season after Brisbane in January, holding in the final game to take the victory from three straight errors from Williams. It was her fist win in the series since the Cincinnati final more than two and a half years ago.
The winner saved 11 of 12 break points.
“It was tough to close it out,” Azarenka said. “I knew that I had to give all that I could.
“I stayed tough, that’s the only way to win. You have to believe, to stay strong, keep doing what has been working. I gave it my all in the end and it worked.”
Now to see what happens next.