Azarenka repeats as Aussie champ

Victoria Azarenka overcome an often hostile crowd to win back-to-back Australian Open titles, beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a dramatic final on Saturday that contained a break for fireworks, two medical timeouts and a nasty fall that caused Li to black out momentarily.
The Chinese star first tumbled to the court after twisting her left ankle, and had it taped after falling in the fifth game of the second set.

On the first point after a 10-minute pause in the third set while fireworks crackled overhead from nearby Australia Day celebrations, Li fell over again and slammed the back of her head into the court

The 2011 French Open champion was treated immediately by a tournament doctor and had another time out before being allowed to resume the match. The second incident didn't appear to affect Li's movement, but she later said it was a serious fall.
''I think I was a little bit worried when I was falling down,'' she said. ''The head was touching the floor. Because two seconds I couldn't really see anything. It was totally black.
''So when the physio come, she was like, `Focus on my finger.' I was laughing. I was thinking, `This is tennis court, not like hospital.''

Azarenka, who broke down in tears and sobbed into her towel when the match ended, won four of the next six games to claim her second major title and retain the No. 1 ranking.
''Unfortunately, you have to go through some rough patches to achieve great things. That's what makes it so special for me,'' she said. ''I went through that, and I'm still able to kiss that beautiful trophy.''

The win meant that Azarenka will maintain top spot and Serena Williams, who lost in the quarterfinals, will become the new No. 2 in the rankings.
On a crisp Saturday night, Azarenka won the coin toss and elected to receive, a ploy that seemed to work when a nervous Li was broken to start the match. After a double fault on the first point, Li's forehand long gave Azarenka the early lead.
The 2-hour, 40-minute match featured 16 service breaks, with Li losing her service nine times.A/P