BRISBANE, Australia - Victoria Azarenka has started 2009 just as she began 2008, by reaching the final of the first tournament of the year, in Queensland. The 19-year-old No.2 seed's opponent in the championship match of the Brisbane International will be third seed Marion Bartoli, who advanced when Amélie Mauresmo retired hurt during the first set of their semifinal.
World No.16 Azarenka, who was beaten by Li Na at the Gold Coast 12 months ago, never looked in danger against Sara Errani on Friday. Although the 42nd ranked Italian fought valiantly to retrieve two early breaks of service in the first set, she ultimately didn't possess the weapons to counter the powerful Belarusian, who raced to a 63 61 win in just over an hour.
"I'm obviously very happy - I just want to do better than the last time and win my first title," said Azarenka, who played herself into blistering form in a tough quarterfinal against Lucie Safarova on Thursday, and connected with 85 percent of first serves in the second set today. "I will fight for every point. It's the last match so you have to give everything you have and stay positive no matter what."
In the second semi, fifth-seeded Mauresmo retired trailing 0-4 to her compatriot Bartoli, having called for a trainer on the sixth deuce of her third service game; treatment was applied to the Frenchwoman's left thigh and lower back.
By that stage the former world No.1 had lost 15 consecutive points from the first game to the fourth and didn't play another point, casting her participation in next week's Medibank International in Sydney - the first Premier event of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's new-look calendar - into doubt. Ironically, after her rousing win over top seed Ana Ivanovic in the Brisbane quarters, Mauresmo had said she felt her fittest in years.
"It happened in the second game," Mauresmo said. "It wasn't such a big pain so I kept going but I really couldn't push off the serve and move the way I wanted.
"It's frustrating and not how you want to end the tournament but I guess it's more sensible to make sure I'm 100 percent for Melbourne," she added.
Bartoli, who had never beaten Mauresmo in four previous matches, said she noticed something was wrong but tried to concentrate on her own game.
"You have to be really focused on your own game when you're playing and you try not to look too much on the other side of the net," she said. "But yes, it's really unfortunate Amélie had to retire. I knew it was bad because she never calls for the trainer."
Azarenka and 24-year-old Bartoli, ranked one place lower at No.17, have played just once before, in the second round of the Australian Open in 2007; Azarenka prevailed in straight sets. Bartoli's last tournament victory came at Auckland three years ago, but she reached the final at Stanford last August. Azarenka is looking to improve on a 0-4 record in finals.
The doubles final will be an unseeded affair contested by Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Vania King against Polish duo Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska.
