Victoria Azarenka extended her domination over Samantha Stosur to win her third successive title of the year at the Qatar Open on Sunday, taking her 2012 record to 17 straight wins.
The Belarusian world No.1 showed no signs of discomfort from her overnight injury scare in the semifinals against Agnieszka Radwanska by beating a listless Stosur, the US Open champion, 6-1, 6-2 in a one-sided final.
The Qatar Open was Azarenka's 11th title, 10 of them coming on hard courts, as she maintained her perfect record against the Australian who she has beaten in five career clashes beginning in 2008, with none of the matches going to three sets.
Sunday's win also completed a remarkable 12 months for Azarenka who lost to Daniela Hantuchova in the first round in Doha in 2011, a defeat that led her to contemplate retirement before being talked out of it by her mother and grandmother.