Australian Open Womens Final: Live Report
Date published :
28 Jan 2012 - 08:16:51
0812 GMT: The match has been described in the popular media as the "Scream Queen final, where every shot will be heard around the world."
Sharapova and Azarenka are two of the game's most notorious shriekers, says AFP's Talek Harris, who is also covering the final. Their match comes just days after the WTA launched a crackdown on the unladylike grunting which has long been a source of debate and innuendo.
During the match, Australia's Channel Seven TV has said it will use its Whoo! Meter, which has already clocked Azarenka at 91.4 decibels -- the equivalent of a passing truck.
Harris reports that headline writers have gone to town, with the Herald Sun calling the pair the "squeal deal" and Britain's Independent saying they are vying to be crowned "princess of wails".
0805 GMT: Watching the pre-match preparations in the court is AFP's John Weaver, who reports: "The roof has been closed for the pre-match entertainment as the crowds file into the Rod Laver Arena, shutting out the last of the evening sun. It'll be reopened for the main event."
WELCOME TO THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN'S FINAL: Former champion Russia's Maria Sharapova is taking on Belarus's Victoria Azarenka in the singles final, with the world number one ranking also at stake.
Sharapova, 24, is playing her sixth grand slam final and bidding for her fourth major title after wins at Wimbledon (2004), the US Open (2006) and the Australian Open (2008).
Sharapova burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old when she won Wimbledon. But in August 2008 she needed major shoulder surgery which kept her out of the sport for almost a year. It took the glamorous Russian just over two years to get back into serious contention at a grand slam, reaching the final four at last year's French Open and then the Wimbledon final, where she fell to Czech Petra Kvitova.
Azarenka, 22, who emerged three years ago when she won her first WTA tournament in Brisbane, is playing in a major final for the first time. She has now claimed nine titles on the women's tour but her previous best at a grand slam was reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon last year. The Belarusian has a reputation for breaking down emotionally during tight matches but said those problems are now in the past.
