The Belarusian broke Sharapova’s serve twice in the opening set and four times in the second to seal a commanding victory in one hour, 26 minutes on the showpiece stadium court.

Although Azarenka faced a little more resistance from Sharapova late in the second set, she held off the Russian’s fightback and ended the match with a probing backhand which forced a desperate lob from her opponent that floated long.

The Australian Open champion dropped her racket in delight and set off on a running jig in the direction of the players’ box after improving her unbeaten record this year to 23-0.