INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Victoria Azarenka defeated error-prone Serena Williams 6-4, 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, returning Azarenka to the world's top 10 for the first time since August 2014.
Clearly the crowd favorite, Williams gave fans little to cheer about on a 91-degree (32 C) day in the California desert while making 33 unforced errors. After getting broken to trail 3-0 in the second set, Williams returned to her seat and smashed her racket.
Trailing 5-1, Williams won three straight games and held two break points on Azarenka's serve in the last game.