Victoria Azarenka won a duel between the world's two top players by beating No 1 Serena Williams 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 in the final of the Western and Southern Open on Sunday.

For two hours and 30 minutes, Azarenka and Williams engaged in a seesaw battle before the Belarusian finally clinched the victory, winning a nervy tiebreak 8-6 to prevent the American from adding Cincinnati to her long list of triumphs.

"Obviously, it's a big win. It was a great match," Azarenka told reporters. "I'm really, really pleased with the way I pulled it out. It was a great battle.There were no giveaways. It was pure fight."